With nearly three crore cases pending in Indian courts, President Pranab Mukherjee today said the judiciary is yet to fully meet people's aspirations for "speedy and affordable" justice.
As the huge pendency of cases caused concern, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur did not mince any words as he said the Bar at times has "not been very very cooperative" in disposal of cases even if judges are ready to put extra hours.
Justice Thakur also said that judiciary as an institution is facing crisis of credibility which is a challenge from within and asked judges to be conscientious of their duties.
President Mukherjee, who was inaugurating the 150th anniversary celebration of Allahabad High Court, said justice must be "accessible, affordable and quick" for people to understand the meaning of justice.
"Though the Indian judiciary has many strengths, it is yet to fully meet the aspirations of our people for speedy and affordable justice," he said.
The remarks by the President and the CJI came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted a novel idea of courts coming out with an annual bulletin to highlight the oldest cases being tried by them to help create sensitivity on pendency of cases. Modi was speaking during the centenary celebrations of Patna High Court yesterday.
The President said as an upholder of the Rule of Law and enforcer of the right to liberty, the role of the judiciary was sacrosanct and the faith and confidence people have in it must be always maintained.
"Our courts are today overburdened on account of number of cases pending before them. There are over three crore cases pending in various courts throughout the country.
"Out of these, about 38.5 lakh cases are pending in 24 High Courts. The pendency of cases in the High Courts has slightly declined from 41.5 lakh in 2014 to 38.5 lakh in 2015, but still have a long way to go," he said.
The CJI said he can assure the lawyers that if Bar cooperates, judges will be ready to sit even on Saturdays to finish old matters, especially related to people languishing in jail for years.
"At times judges feel that the delay in the disposal of cases is only because the Bar does not, at times, cooperate," he said.
Mukherjee noted that the judiciary has played an important role since independence in strengthening the democratic framework of the country and maintaining rule of law.
"High Courts in particular have a unique position under the Constitution of India. They are not only guardians of people's rights and liberty, they also have the onerous responsibility of ensuring that access to justice is not denied to any citizen on account of economic or any other disability," the President said.
He said judiciary which is one of the three important pillars of our democracy, is the final interpreter of the Constitution and it must help maintain social order by swiftly and effectively dealing with those on the wrong side of the law.
The President said the governments, judges and lawyers must work hand in hand to make justice a living reality, observing, "Justice delayed is justice denied".
