Kochi, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday called for introspection on whether there is room to improve the responsiveness of the judicial process in view of the growing tendency among litigants to move the Supreme Court for urgent listing or early hearing of matters pending before the High Courts.
“Equally important is their power to grant timely interim protection. Referring to the Kerala High Court’s seven decade long history, Justice Kant said that the High Court and the state of Keralam were both formed in 1956 and their journey during the last 70 years was closely intertwined with each other.
CJI Kant said that the apex court has as consistently respected the institutional autonomy of High Courts, including their authority to regulate their own rosters, but the frequency of such requests invites us to consider whether there is room to improve the responsiveness of our processes. “And can we ensure that a litigant’s access to timely justice does not depend upon their ability to travel to the national capital?” were queries he posed during his inaugural address on the occasion of the platinum jubilee anniversary celebrations of the Kerala High Court here. Justice Kant said that constitutional justice in India does not begin and end in New Delhi as its strength lies in a robust network of 25 constitutional High Courts spread across the country, “each entrusted with the duty of protecting rights and upholding the rule of law”. Sometimes, the difference between justice and injustice lies not in the final judgment, but in whether the court intervenes when intervention is most needed,” the CJI said in his address. He said that the court played a vital role in the state’s constitutional development. “Whether through its extensive engagement with doctrines of environmental protection, or its invocation of fundamental rights to safeguard life and personal liberty, this High Court has repeatedly demonstrated that constitutional promises must find expression in everyday realities,” he said.
