2500 vacancies for judges in lower courts: CJI

Nearly 2500 seats for judges are still vacant in lower courts. The Chief Justice of India blamed the inadequacy of judges at lower levels as the main obstruction to quick delivery of justice. He assured the vacant seats will be filled in six months.
THE CHIEF Justice of India, KG Balakrishnan has said that the lack of adequate number of judges and required infrastructure are the basic obstacles behind incessant delays in quick adjudication of cases.

He said, “Most of the states were conducting examinations and exuded confidence that around 2,500 vacant posts of judges for lower courts will be filled within six months.”

Despite the inadequacy of judges, the judiciary has always risen to the occasion, the Chief Justice maintained, recalling the prompt service rendered by judicial officers in earthquake and tsunami affected states in speedily deciding cases of payment of compensations to victims.

Further, Justice Balakrishnan said that with setting up of additional family courts and Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) courts, as agreed by the government, the burden on lower court judges would reduce considerably.

About workload and pittance of salary, he remarked, "The job gives tremendous satisfaction. Moreover, there is no one who would call us in the middle of work to do this or that. There is no tension of pleasing the superiors." He also refused to comment on the need for a salary hike.

Replying to another question that does the spate of criticism, of lack of transparency, accountability, pendency of cases, he said, "I don’t feel exasperated at all, as there are many challenges before the judiciary. We will do our best to meet them to the best of our ability and it is the litigants who should judge us."

Here it may be mentioned that recently the Chief Justice remarked about the difficulty in filling up the existing vacancies in judges’ posts for lower courts.

However, if the 2500 vacant posts are filled within the stipulated time frame, it may help in speedy delivery of justice to those who have been waiting for years. But that too is not sure in view of the present state of affairs and various other factors that come in the way of justice.
H A Eklavya, 05 May 2008, Monday
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