New Delhi
Chief Justice of India Justice TS Thakur broke down at conference in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present. CJI lamented “inaction” by the executive to increase the number of judges from the present 21,000 to 40,000 to handle the “avalanche” of litigation.
.“..And therefore, it is not only in the name of a litigant or people languishing in jails but also in the name of development of the country, its progress that I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realise that it is not enough to criticise.
You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary,” the Chief Justice of India said in a choking voice.
Referring to the speech of Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, the Prime Minister said that he understood the Chief Justice’s concern. He hoped that the government and the judiciary could work together to find solutions to these issues. The Prime Minister also stressed on the efforts being made by the Government to remove obsolete laws from the statute books.
In his address, Justice T.S.Thakur expressed concern over the rising vacancies of judges in High Courts as well as subordinate courts. He referred to the enormous work load on the judiciary due to this reason.
He said piling of cases can be effectively reduced if all the vacancies in courts are filled up.
Justice Thakur also suggested that services of retired Judges can be utilized as per the provisions of Constitution. He stressed that efficacy of judicial system vitally connected with development of country.