Mumbai, Jan 24: Calling High Courts the first line of defence for ordinary citizens, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday urged them to be more proactive and vigilant in addressing systemic failures in the rule of law, asserting that judicial delay does not merely deny justice but destroys it altogether.
Judicial delay erodes public faith
The CJI was speaking at two events in Mumbai — the Fali Nariman Memorial Lecture and a felicitation programme organised by the Bombay High Court — where he stressed that delays in the justice delivery system erode public faith. “Justice delayed is not only justice denied but it is justice destroyed,” he said.
Call for proactive role
At the memorial lecture, CJI Kant urged High Courts to remain alert to institutional lapses affecting governance and civil liberties. “High Courts need to be more proactive and remain alert to systematic failures in the rule of law and not wait for the knock on their doors,” he said, adding that access to justice must be transformed “from a passive right to a state-guaranteed service”.
Not stepping stones to Supreme Court
Rejecting the notion that High Courts are merely intermediary forums, the CJI said, “High Courts are not stepping stones to the Supreme Court”. He described them as the first forum where citizens seek constitutional protection.
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“High Courts are the primary sentinel guarding the doorsteps of the ordinary citizen, ensuring that the rule of law is not a distant concept but a localised, breathing reality,” he observed.
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