Chief Justice of India, Justice N V Ramana delivered the inaugural address at the Telangana State Judicial Officers Conference - 2022 at Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

While saying that judicial officers should perform their duties without any fear, the Chief Justice said that, "I am aware of the increasing physical attacks on judges. I am doing my utmost to prevent such occurrences. Directions were issued to improve the security of judicial officials both inside and outside Courtrooms."

The event was attended by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and Cheif Justice of Telangana High Court Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.

Praising the Chief Minister, the CJI said, "I have no hesitation in saying that my friend of many years and Hon'ble Chief Minister of Telangana Sri K Chandrasekhar Rao garu is one of the most pro-active Chief Ministers as far as facilitating the functioning of the Judiciary is concerned. Judiciary of this State is fortunate to have the whole hearted support of Government. All of you are aware how encouraging he has been in setting up of International Arbitration and Mediation Centre which is generating employment opportunities directly and indirectly. In these times, when the employment opportunities are dwindling everywhere, it is remarkable that the Government of Telangana is doing its best to fill the vacancies in Government sector. I compliment the Chief Minister for his efforts in this direction."

Justice Ramana said that the purpose behind organizing the Conference is to introspect about various factors governing the administration of justice and to discover ways and means to bring qualitative improvement in the system. "Strengthening the subordinate Judiciary is the need of the hour", he said.

He said that the most crucial issue affecting the Indian judiciary, and particularly the subordinate judiciary, is the issue of pendency.

He said that he understands that the subordinate functioning is adversely affected due to the lack of infrastructure and a large number of judicial vacancies. "However, I assure you that I am giving my best, to address these issues on priority", he added.

Justice Ramana said that in the case of Telangana, the strength of the High Court has gone up from 24 to 42. The working strength has gone up from 12 to 29. "After I assumed office, so far 17 fresh appointments were made. You all know, out of those 17, 11 are from your fraternity. In the latest round, out of the 12 recommended, 10 were already appointed. I am trying to get the remaining two names also cleared", Justice Ramana said.

Justice Ramana said that the greatest strength of the Indian judiciary is the faith of people in the institution. "Being the Court of First Instance, it is your responsibility to ensure that the litigants remain satisfied. Litigants form an opinion on the judiciary based on the conduct of Officers / Courts in the Subordinate Judiciary. This casts a great responsibility on your shoulders", Justice Ramana added.

Justice Ramna advised the judicial officers to always remember the human aspects of the dispute. He said, "Law cannot be far from equity. It is important to project the human face of the Judiciary, whenever you have scope for invoking your discretion. Make the Court proceedings accessible. Consider the socio-economic background, language, education, etc. of the parties involved and deal with them suitably".

Justice Raman also told the judicial officers that, "You must sensitize yourself to different vulnerabilities of parties. Minors, women, persons belong to the weaker sections of the society, persons with disabilities, etc., might all have different requirements. Treat everyone with respect".

The CJI said that only if judicial officers are healthy, can they continue to perform their judicial duty efficiently. "I know your financial well being is a very important factor. Only when you are free from financial worries, you will be able to give your best. Let me assure you that I have taken up the issues related to pay commission and you will soon get a good news on this front", he said.

Chief Justice N V Ramana

Verdictum News Desk