AMN /

President Pranab Mukherjee today said appointment process of judges must operate on well established and transparent principles to select the best.

He was speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Delhi High Court in the national capital.

He said the appointment process must conform to the highest standards of probity and no one can meddle in the process.

The President said an autonomous judiciary is a vital feature of democracy and it must reinvent itself through introspection and self-correction when necessary.

Speaking about pendency of court cases, Mr Mukherjee said there are over 60 thousand court cases pending in the Apex Court, another over 40 lakh pending in the High Courts, and over 2.6 crore in the district and subordinate courts.

He said delay in administering justice is as good as denial and high pendency must change through multi-dimensional effort.

He said courts must have enough resources to boost their infrastructure and vacancies in judicial positions must be filled up on priority.

The President called for preserving the multiplicity and pluralistic character of the country and said India has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolerance.

He stressed that multiplicity is India’s collective strength which must be preserved at all costs.