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PUDUCHERRY:
Madras High Court Judge P.D. Dinakaran on Friday stressed the need for
rendering speedy justice through uncomplicated procedures, particularly
against the backdrop of the challenges the Indian judiciary was facing
in the globalised scenario.
Inaugurating
a three-day zonal workshop for judicial officers of Puducherry, Cuddalore,
Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore here, he said the judiciary had
been confronted with challenges that necessitated radical changes in
the mindset of all those who were responsible for the management of
judicial system.
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Referring
to the topic of the workshop, “Techniques and Tools for Enhancing
Timely Justice,” he said, “The trend of globalisation requires us
to judge our performance by international standards to compete with
the best in the world.” |
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KEY ISSUES: Madras High Court Judge P.D. Dinakaran addressing
a workshop in Puducherry on Friday |
As society
progressed, the values were changing and the complexities of trade and
commerce were posing hitherto unknown problems for resolution by governance,
he said.
This,
in turn, was contributing not only to the complexity of litigation but
also to the influx of disputes in courts, he said.
The role
of the judges had considerably changed over the years, as they no longer
sat in the ivory tower hearing and deciding the case and delivering
judgment, Justice Mr. Dinakaran said. He described the role of the judges
as “multifaceted.” With the focus shifting to transparency, they
had to be efficient in court administration to meet the expectations
of the people, he said.
Healers
of conflict
“Judicial
officers should become healers of conflict and play an active role in
curbing procedural delay to dispense justice effectively without committing
any error,” he said.
He appealed
to them to equip themselves with the latest enactments and become “capable
in adaptation and application of the emerging laws.”
High Court
Judge Prabha Sridevan referred to the contention of the judicial officers
that lawyers did not cooperate with them in the efforts to ensure timely
justice. “I earnestly ask you to remember that we are the ones who
control the courts and we cannot allow the lawyers to control the courts.”
When adjournments
were sought, they could be granted for a brief period, she said, adding
that by doing so, unnecessary delays could be avoided. She stressed
the need for adopting information technology as a tool for enhancing
timely justice.
Enhancement
of infrastructure facilities at courts alone would not automatically
reduce the delay. Judges gained respect not due to external indices
but because of “what we are and how we give justice,” she said,
She also
stressing the need for treating litigants with dignity.
Additional
Director of the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy G .Jayachandran highlighted
the significance of the workshop.
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