Judicial officers should introspect and find ways to give better service to people, said Supreme Court Judge Justice R.V. Raveendran.
He was speaking after inaugurating the annual general body meeting of the Kerala Judicial Officers Association here on Sunday.
Judges should never rest on their laurels. Instead, they should strive for rendering speedy, effective and impartial justice and think of ways to improve their functioning. The management of time, court, case and oneself is of utmost importance for a judicial officer. The improvements made on these aspects would help in the deliverance of quality justice, he said.
He appealed to the High Court judges to be elder brothers and mentors to subordinate judges who often have to face criticism from the people and the bar. The subordinate judges should get the right treatment they deserve, he said.
S.R. Bannurmath, Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala, urged the subordinate judges never to compromise on the quality of work despite the mounting pressure. Any such compromise would affect the poor and the needy who look up to the judges for justice. The judicial officers should deliver justice with honesty and integrity. Speedy justice should be the mantra of the judicial officers, he said.
Barring microscopic exceptions, the judicial officers of the State were far superior to their counterparts in other parts of the country, he said.
The Association also organised a send-off meeting to Mr. Bannurmath who will be retiring on January 22.
B. Kemal Pasha, District and Sessions Judge, Thrissur, delivered the farewell speech.
Kurian Joseph, judge of the Kerala High Court, presented the merit awards instituted by the Association.
T.S.P. Moosath, president of the Association, presided over the meeting.
K. Sathyan, vice-president, welcomed the gathering and N. Seshadrinathan, proposed a vote of thanks.
‘More transparency’
The Kerala Judicial Officers Association has demanded “more transparency in the selection process of judges to the High Court and Apex Court.”
The demand was raised by T.S.P. Moosath, president of the Association, at the annual general body meeting of the Association.
The practice of avoiding senior district judges, who have crossed the age of 58, for elevation as High Court judges should be ended. This practice had resulted in blocking eligible promotion avenues. The Association has demanded that senior district judges, if otherwise eligible, should be considered for elevation as High Court judges irrespective of their age.
The Association has suggested introspection on the working environment of the subordinate judiciary in Kerala. It also suggested that a workshop or an in-house discussion should be convened for discussing various problems facing the subordinate judiciary so that the working conditions could be improved for better dispensation of speedy and effective justice.
The other demands raised by the Association include timely promotions, change in the procedure of recording evidences and timely disposal of cases filed by judicial officers.
