President lauds Gauhati High Court for ensuring justice while upholding customary laws
New Delhi, April 7
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday lauded the Gauhati High Court for serving seven northeastern states for over six decades with a sense of “great deal of sensitivity and responsibility” and ensuring justice in accordance with the customary laws of the diverse communities in the region.
Speaking at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Gauhati High Court in Guwahati, the President said it held a unique place in India’s judicial landscape since its inception in 1948 for its work and still had jurisdiction over four states.
”It is heartening to see that the Gauhati High Court continues to uphold the customary laws that have been in practice in some of the states under its jurisdiction. By respecting the sentiments of the indigenous people, this institution has helped enhance the ethos of peaceful co-existence in this region,” she said.
She said the increasing role of technology in the administration of justice had solved many problems that afflicted the system for long and urged lawyers and students of law to find solutions in the legal domain that could provide a helping hand to the poor and the needy.
The President launched app ‘Bhoroxa’ made for the safety of women and the elderly in distress. “The Northeast has been aptly called ‘Ashtalakshmi’ as diverse communities have lived together historically in the region,” she said.
“Justice must be accessible to all, but the cost is a hindrance. There is therefore the need to keep expanding the reach of free legal counselling,” she said, adding that the language of justice too was a hindrance but the higher judiciary had started making verdicts available in several regional languages.
“Justice includes social and economic justice. It becomes the duty of every generation to make it meaningful in its time. In our time, we must become sensitive to ecological justice. Environmental degradation has led to great injustice to many communities around the world. We need to be sensitive to other species as well as towards the entire ecology”, the President added.
