Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, recently described the judiciary as the ‘biggest obstacle’ in the way of making India a Viksit Bharat. Reacting to this, former Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Thursday admitted that the delay in cases is a serious problem, but he also made it clear that the real cause of the delay is lacking in the infrastructure, not the disability of the judiciary.
During the India Today Conclave in Mumbai, Chandrachud said, ‘There is no doubt that there is a problem of delay in our law. But we have to see why it is delayed? The reason for this is not just a judiciary. The real reason is lack of infrastructure. And the budget of this infrastructure is with the government.
Chandrachud also said that the government’s own contribution is the largest contribution behind the increasing number of cases. He said, ‘The government is the biggest litigant in the country. Many times cases are filed without proper reason, due to which the number of cases increases.
‘Laws of Parliament puts burden on court’
He also said that new laws made by Parliament put additional burden on the courts. He said, ‘I am neither blaming the government nor the Parliament. But the thing is that whenever new laws are made, it should also be assessed that what will be their impact on the infrastructure of the judiciary. For this, it is necessary to have a statutory or parliamentary audit.
Chandrachud explained his point through an example and said, ‘If you build an airport but there is no road to reach there, then that airport will become useless. Similarly, the courts also need enough infrastructure to work effectively.
Emphasizing the importance of giving justice on time, he said, ‘Rapid disposal of cases is the foundation of the rule of law. Those investing in the country also want to solve certainty, transparency and disputes on time.
Sanyal attacked the judiciary
This week, Sanjeev Sanyal made a strong comment about the long holidays of the judiciary. Speaking at the program of Justice 2025 (Nyaya Nirmaan 2025), he said, ‘The judiciary is a public service, it should not be closed for a long time. Just as health services continue to run, similarly the judiciary should also remain open.
Sanyal said that if doctors also started closing their hospitals like courts. He said that this situation is unacceptable.
He said, ‘We have only 20 to 25 years to become a developed India. If the legal system does not improve, then the dream of becoming a developed nation will remain incomplete.
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