Government assured it will clear proposals on judge appointments in day or two: CJI Ramana

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Saturday said Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has assured to clear the pending recommendations for appointment of judges to High Courts, including eight Chief Justices, in a day or two, enabling quick access of justice.

Justice Ramana was speaking at the launch of a six-week-long ‘Pan India Legal Awareness and Outreach Campaign’ of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

"Since May onwards we have recommended more than 106 judges to different High Courts and nine Chief Justices to various High Courts. The government has cleared seven names out of the 106 judges and one out of the nine Chief Justices, so far," he said.

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"I expect that the government will clear the rest of the names very soon," he added.

Justice Ramana maintained clearing these vacancies would ensure quick access to justice to the people and would take care of the pendency to some extent.

Highlighting the importance of legal awareness, the CJI said people need to feel that law and institutions are for everyone and in a democratic country it is the faith and trust of the people that helps institutions sustain.

“We must earn that faith. The quality of democracy rests on the quality of justice. For a healthy democracy, a vibrant judiciary is essential," he said.

Justice Ramana also stressed the importance of ensuring access to justice to all including the vulnerable sections, saying guarantee of equal justice will be rendered meaningless if the vulnerable sections cannot enforce their rights.

He said Covid-19 has created many problems for institutions, including the judiciary, with accumulation of thousands of cases, apart from the large vacancies and non-working of courts, and lack of virtual conference facilities in rural areas.

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