Kapil Sibal expresses concern over extremely low judge population ratio

President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Kapil Sibal on Friday expressed concern on the number of judges in the country saying that the judge population ratio is abysmally low in India.

Sibal was addressing the inaugural event of the 2-day National Conference of District Judiciary, at Bharat Mandapam where Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the National Conference of District Judiciary.

On the occasion, PM Modi unveiled the stamp and coin commemorating 75 years of the establishment of the Supreme Court of India.

In his address, Sibal said, "...The judge population ratio is abysmally low in India. The roster at the level of district and sessions level is overburdened..."

Kapil Sibal emphasised that trial courts, district and session courts need to be empowered to deliver justice.

"...Our trial court, district and sessions court need to be empowered to deliver justice without fear or fervour...They are not subordinate as they deliver justice. the judiciary at that level should be instilled with the confidence that their judgments will not be held against them and that they represent the spinal cord of the justice delivery system...," he said in his address.

Sibal added, "In my career, I have seldom seen bail granted at that level. This is not just my experience but even CJI has said this because higher courts are burdened. After all, bail at the lower court is an exception...Liberty is the foundational substratum of a thriving democracy and any attempt to throttle it impacts the quality of our democracy..."

The Supreme Court is organising a two-day national conference of the district Judiciary beginning August 31 and September 1.

The two-day Conference, organised by the Supreme Court of India, will host five working sessions that will deliberate and discuss on the issues related to district judiciary such as infrastructure and human resources, inclusive courtrooms for all, judicial security and judicial wellness, case management and judicial training.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud were also present at the event.