I was keen on joining active politics, but destiny desired otherwise: CJI Ramana

‘Politicians, bureaucrats, police officers are often provided with security even after their retirement owing to the sensitivity of their jobs. Ironically, judges are not extended similar protection’

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana. PTI

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, July 23

A month before demitting office, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Saturday said he wanted to join active politics but he was destined to be a judge.

Delivering the inaugural Justice SB Sinha Memorial Lecture in Ranchi on ‘Life of a Judge’, CJI Ramana said, "I was keen on joining active politics, but destiny desired otherwise. The decision to give up something for which I had worked so hard, was not easy at all.”

In his live-streamed address, the CJI emphasised the need to strengthen the judiciary and empower judges to make India a vibrant democracy. He, however, lamented that the country was witnessing an increasing number of physical attacks on judges.

“Can you imagine a judge who has served on the bench for decades, putting hardened criminals behind the bar, once he retires, loses all the protection that came with the tenure? Judges have to live in the same society as the people that they have convicted, without any security or assurance of safety,” said the CJI who retires on August 26.

“Politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and other public representatives are often provided with security even after their retirement owing to the sensitivity of their jobs. Ironically, judges are not extended similar protection,” Justice Ramana noted.

CJI Ramana said one of the biggest challenges before the judiciary was prioritising the matters for adjudication as judges cannot turn a blind eye to social realities.

Delving on the future of judiciary in India, he said, “The burden on an already fragile judicial infrastructure is increasing by the day. There have been a few knee-jerk reactions in augmenting infrastructure... However, I haven't heard of any concrete plan to equip the judiciary to meet the challenges of the foreseeable future, leave alone a long-term vision for the century and ahead.”

"...It is only with the coordinated efforts by the judiciary and the executive that this alarming issue of infrastructure can be addressed," he added.

“In my opinion, the need of the hour is to initiate a multi-disciplinary study, where scientific methods can be used to equip our judiciary for the future. With the growth of the economy and population, a sustainable method of dispensation of justice needs to be modelled. The reality, given the current situation, is that we are simply not equipped to handle the rising challenges of the future. If the judiciary suffers, our democracy suffers. This is a serious issue,” the CJI said.

He asserted that the non-filling up of judicial vacancies and not improving the judicial infrastructure was the main reason for the pendency of cases in the country.

The CJI also sought to dispel the misconception in the minds of the people that judges stayed in ultimate comfort, worked only from 10 am to 4 pm and enjoyed their holidays. “Such a narrative is untrue,” he said.

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