Singapore CJ: If judiciary fails, it'll lead to law & order breakdown

New Delhi, February 4

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Maintaining that a properly functional judiciary acted as a glue to hold different parts of the system together, Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon cautioned that failure of judiciary would result in the breakdown of the rule of law.

“When it functions well, the judiciary serves as part of the glue that holds various moving parts together…This is a critical mission — if we fail, the perfect long storm portends a breakdown of the rule of law. But if judiciaries are successful in this endeavour, they will help guide their societies through the tempest,” Justice Menon said. He described the Supreme Court of India as the busiest court in the world and said the judges in India were among the hardest working because of the immense caseload.

He said unequal accumulation of wealth would pose grave challenges with respect to access to justice, for those left behind would feel increasingly marginalised. Noting that the judiciary could not solely rely on traditional ways to address “complexification” of disputes, he said it would have to come up with radical methods to overcome it. “Judges will increasingly need to be sensitive to developments in foreign laws to properly decide disputes,” Justice Menon said.