Today, On 19th January, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant dismissed a “publicity-seeking” plea demanding a judicial reforms committee and a 12-month deadline for all cases. He cautioned, “Don’t file petitions just to speak in front of cameramen outside the court premises.”
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant dismissed a petition that he deemed “publicity-seeking,” which called for the establishment of a committee to oversee judicial reforms, including a mandate that every case be resolved within twelve months.
The Chief Justice stated,
“We will not let anyone come here for ‘judicial reforms’,”
He also added,
“If it is a matter of judicial reforms, I won’t allow anyone to come to the court premises. First, put it in writing… whatever it is. Then I will see if it is possible or not. We are all here, we will do it.”
He advised the petitioner to write a letter with their suggestions, emphasizing,
“You want change in the country? Don’t need to file such a petition… just write a letter and send it to me.”
The Chief Justice criticized the motivations behind the petition, saying,
“Don’t file petitions just to speak in front of the cameramen standing outside.”
Regarding the plea for additional courts to manage the high volume of cases, he remarked,
“Aap keh rahe hai ek saal mein har court faisla kare? Aisi kitne courts chahiye apko?” (“You’re saying every court should deliver a judgment within a year? How many such courts do you need?”)
He further questioned,
“Court banva dijiye… court banva dijiye. kaha se banva dijiye?” (“Set up extra courts, set up extra courts. Where do we get these courts from?”)
In its ruling, the court noted that the petition had been filed by the petitioner in person, seeking various judicial reforms and investigations into specific types of court cases.
The court highlighted that these issues had been mistakenly intertwined, and reiterated that the petitioner could submit a letter to the Chief Justice with any administrative suggestions for judicial reform.
The court concluded,
“It goes without saying that any such suggestions are always welcome,”