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Sunday, Jul 30, 2006

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National

Live up to people's expectations, President tells judiciary

Special Correspondent

With the Jammu and Kashmir High Court set to have zero pendency by 2008, it is a great role model for the country

SRINAGAR: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Saturday asked the judiciary to rise to the expectations of the people and sought its cooperation for making his vision of "India being a happy, prosperous and safe nation by 2020."

Inaugurating the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court here, Mr. Kalam said he was impressed with the track record of the High Court. "I was pleased to know that this High Court will have zero pendency by 2008. It will be a great role model for the country and you are giving a diamond jubilee gift to the nation."

Nine-point mission

In the presence of chairman of the National Human Rights Commission A.S. Anand, several Supreme Court Judges, Chief Justices of High Courts, Judges, legal luminaries, Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal, Governor S.K. Sinha, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr. Kalam repeated his nine point mission for the State's prosperity he unfolded on Friday.He named it the "Judiciary and Peace Mission" and asked the judicial officers to contribute to achieving the goal of peace. "Speed up the peace movement and 5 million youths of the State will be grateful to you."

Dynamic system

"Our judicial system is dynamic and an institution which is throbbing with life, catching up societal and technological evolution. As the ultimate protector of human rights and the final resort for dispensation of justice, the citizens of India look up to this institution with awe and eternal hope," the President said.

"Our society is going through a unique dynamics due to the shortage of leadership with nobility."

He said: "The only hope the nation cherishes and looks to is the judiciary with its excellence and impeccable integrity. We should do everything to make the judicial system succeed."

Mr. Kalam impressed upon the decision makers to have a brighter outlook and said: "It is said that a nation fails not because of [lack of] economic progress but because of an increase in decision makers with small minds." This casts a very heavy responsibility on the entire judicial system to live up to the expectations reposed in it and to maintain the sacred aura attached to it. "Qualities of honesty and integrity are synonymous with each member of the judicial system."

Glorious tradition

Lauding the judicial system, he said: "Our judiciary has a glorious tradition. It has given a wholesome meaning and healthy content to our democracy. We have every reason to be proud of our system and I have no doubt that as days go by, our judicial system will go from strength to strength justifying the citizens' faith in it and their hopes and aspirations for speedy dispensation of justice."

Fast track courts

Delivering the presidential address, Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal proposed to start double shift in courts on the eve of Deepavali and fast track magisterial courts on November 26, which is observed as Law Day.

He hoped that the Government would make available the needed investment of Rs. 1,500 crore for creating fast track magisterial courts in the country to deal with pendency.

"We have a pendency of 1.88 crore cases and out of that 1.62 crore are criminal cases. We need to clear these and for that fast track courts would help a great deal," he said.

The Chief Justice said that this number was like to go up to two crore by the end of December this year.

Reiterating his earlier suggestion made along with 26 other proposals, Justice Sabharwal said that double shift in courts had also become inevitable.

"We can choose one court in each district and start the process," he said.

The Kashmir Bar Association boycotted the celebrations ignoring an appeal from the Supreme Court Bar Association not to do so.However, most of the Bar Associations of the Kashmir valley, except the one in Srinagar, participated in the celebrations.

Strike disrupts life

A general strike called by separatist groups to protest against the visit of Mr. Kalam to Srinagar disrupted life across Kashmir for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Business houses, commercial establishments, government and semi government offices and educational institutions remained closed and vehicles were off the road.

The strike called by the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference and supported by the JKLF, the Dukhtaran-e-Millat and other separatist groups evoked a near-total response on Friday.

For the first time in recent years, the media was not invited for the cultural programme and the dinner hosted by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in honour of Mr. Kalam here on Friday evening.

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