Law Commission of India Chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan is right in saying that the judicial workload has increased because of greater awareness among the public and the role of the RTI (“ >Approved strength of judges enough to end backlog: Law panel head ”, Sept.14). Even the Prime Minister has acknowledged the relevance of technology and transparency in tackling corruption. Apart from having “working judges”, rather than physical bench strength, government services must be gradually made online.
Gudipati Anirudh,
Secunderabad
We certainly don’t need strength in numbers. Instead, we need to upgrade existing systems and revisit archaic laws. Why do courts enjoy vacations like academic institutions when we are groaning under the weight of a backlog of cases? Adjournments should be restricted to the bare minimum as there are numerous instances where justice has been awarded posthumously. Special and family courts should act fast. There is also an urgent need to stop burdening the Supreme Court with routine appeals. We need more counsellors/arbitrators to dissuade people from resorting to litigation and try and arrive at a compromise.
Prem K. Menon,
Mumbai
In S.P. Gupta vs Union of India, 1981 , the Supreme Court declared that the Constitution is a charter of a social revolution. If ever a social revolution is to occur, the judiciary has to be at its vanguard. Considering that there are on average 2,500 cases allotted to a single judge per year, the argument that judges are “not working” is misplaced.
The real problem lies in tackling the backlog of cases. The approved strength will not be sufficient in taking care of this load.
Jagmal Singh Achara,
Mandawa, Rajasthan
