Courts in India still operate from “dilapidated structures, without proper facilities” as good infrastructure for judiciary has been neglected after the British left, rued Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana on Saturday.
To address this issue, he championed the cause for setting up of National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation (NJIC).
The CJI, who along with President Ram NathKovind took part in programmes including the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh National Law University in Allahabad and a new building complex of the Allahabad High Court here, stressed the importance of strengthening judicial infrastructure in the country.
“Courts in India still operate from dilapidated structures, without proper facilities. Such a situation is severely detrimental to the experience of litigants and lawyers. It is an unpleasant work environment for court staff and judges, making it difficult to effectively perform their functions. We neglected and failed to focus on providing good infrastructure for courts in India after the British left,” Justice Ramana said.
The head of the judiciary, who spoke few lines in Hindi at the start of his speech, said the importance of strengthening judicial infrastructure cannot be overstated.
“That is the reason why I am championing the National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation (NJIC), which will develop concepts of the National Court Development Project and its implementation. The NJIC shall be along the lines of different infrastructure development statutory bodies that work towards creating National Assets across the country. One of the design principles that the NJIC will follow, is socially responsible and inclusive architecture,” he said.
Sufficient judicial infrastructure can help improve access to justice, by catering to the ever-rising number of cases and litigants, and their changing needs, he said. ( PTI )
