Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said, “We have built temples of justice with doors too narrow for the very people they were meant to serve,” while stressing the urgent need to tackle rising case pendency nationwide.
Chief Justice of India B R Gavai emphasized the shared responsibility of both the Bar and the Bench in addressing the growing case backlog.
During the inauguration of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) lecture series, he delivered a talk titled “Justice for all legal aid and mediation: The collaborative role of Bar and the Bench.”
CJI Gavai remarked,
“In the world’s largest democracy, access to justice has been till recently a privilege of prosperity. When legal fees eclipse monthly incomes, when procedures demand literacy that millions lack, when courthouse corridors intimidate more than they welcome, we face a stark reality. We have built temples of justice with doors too narrow for the very people they were meant to serve. The scales of justice cannot balance when only one side can afford to place their grievances upon them.”
Also Read: “We Need to Expand Infrastructure”: CJI’s Vision to Tackle Case Pendency
He pointed out that,
“While case pendency and legal aid operate in different spheres of our justice system, they converge at a critical point the citizen’s quest for timely justice… even the most robust legal aid framework loses its meaning when justice arrives too late…”
Regarding the reasons behind the increasing accumulation of cases, the CJI stated,
“The answer lies in multiple interconnected factors requiring candid introspection from all stakeholders. Both Bar and Bench, despite finest intentions, have developed practices that collectively contribute to extended timelines. Adjournment requests, while often necessary, have become frequent features of proceedings.”
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice BR Gavai has addressed his worries regarding the overwhelming number of cases in the courts, stating that conventional litigation alone cannot handle this burden in the country.
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