Pandemic has taught us to be humble, says CJ

‘Jurisdiction and authority are obligations and not privileges’

January 18, 2021 10:29 pm | Updated January 19, 2021 02:15 am IST - Madurai

Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee inaugurated the building for mediation and conciliation, lok adalat and arbitration centre on the High Court Bench premises in Madurai on Monday.

Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee inaugurated the building for mediation and conciliation, lok adalat and arbitration centre on the High Court Bench premises in Madurai on Monday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything and taught us to be humble. Work culture has changed and enabled us to conduct meetings and hearings on the virtual platform, said Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee on Monday during the reception given to him at the High Court Bench.

Thanking the High Court Judges and the advocates for the warm welcome, he said, “As the Chief Justice of Madras High Court we will be one team. We will have one voice. I will be sharing thoughts on how to go about after the pandemic effect is eased, with the vaccination coming in and the number of cases (COVID-19) going down.”

He said that he will consult High Court judges and others before the court is opened up a bit. There was a good advantage in delivering judgements in open courts. If they were delivered to the face of the advocates who have argued the case, they could stand up and correct the court on facts and key points will not be missed.

The Chief Justice said that the public office is a position of trust. It is a place where you give, not take. Jurisdiction and authority are obligations and not privileges. Unfortunately some of the recent occupants in the public offices have probably not shown the character expected of them and this must be changed, he said.

The Chief Justice said that as a public servant, he was proud to be a part of the State. Additional Advocate General K. Chellapandian and officer-bearers of Bar Associations welcomed him.

He inaugurated a building for mediation and conciliation, lok adalat and arbitration on the court premises. Sitting in the High Court Bench for the first time, the Chief Justice heard public interest litigation petitions and other matters along with Justice M.M. Sundresh.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.