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| Bar breaks out with bench? | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Feb 9
For entire judiciary of the country the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir was today a center for attraction as the Chief Justice of India was here to address the valedictory function of the Lok Adalat week. However, simultaneously, there was also a note of discord as the Bar Association stayed away from the mega function which was also attended by the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The decision of Bar Association to stay away from the function underlined the differences between the Bar and Bench. The Bar Association, it may be mentioned here, is statutorily recognized and democratically elected body of the lawyers. Their staying away from the grand official function clearly reflected that all is not going well between the lawyers and the judges. Earlier, the Bar Association had also boycotted the National Conference on Judiciary which was held the previous day at the General Zorawar Singh auditorium of the University of Jammu.
The spokesman of the Bar Association of Jammu said that the association was not being taken into confidence while deciding these issues which should involved a wide participation of lawyers. He said, "we are a democratically elected body and we should have been consulted.
Meanwhile, addressing the Valedictory function of the Lok Adalat week at the High Court complex here today, the Chief Justice of India Justice Balakrishnan said that around three crore cases are pending in various courts in the country despite stupendous efforts by the courts to deliver speedier justice. He said that 62000 cases are pending only in the Supreme Court and the main reason is that people file more and more cases in the courts. He said the problem of staggering arrears in the courts could be mitigated by Lok Adalats, mediation and conciliation mechanism.
The Chief Justice of India said that the mediation centres have been working very well in various states of the country and a movement forward has been registered in this method of dispute resolution like family disputes pending for a pretty long time. He said 50% of cases could be settled by mediation.
He congratulated the judiciary and judicial officers in Jammu and Kashmir for taking keen interest in organizing Lok Adalats. He said in geographically difficult areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Lok Adalats are much more useful for settlement of disputes.
The Chief Justice of India also gave away cheques to the parties whose cases were settled during the Lok Adalat Week.
Chief Justice of J&K High Court Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan said that the system of Lok Adalat has come to stay as a reliable mechanism of disputes resolution and it is most suitable in J&K where the people mostly live in far-flung and difficult areas. He said Lok Adalat is a speedy, inexpensive and quality justice delivery system, adding that the outcome in Lok Adalat is mutually agreed upon and both the parties depart as friends.
Judge of the J&K High Court and Executive Chairman State Legal Services Authority Justice N. A. Kakru in his welcome address said that despite heavy snowfall, a large number of cases were settled across the state during Lok Adalat Week. He said there is need for creating greater awareness among people to make them aware about their legal rights. He also stressed the need for ensuring buildings and other infrastructure for the judiciary.
Justice Nirmal Singh in his vote of thanks said that in Lok Adalats the cases are decided quickly with both the parties being winners and no one is loser. He also stressed the need for organizing legal aid camps to create awareness among people about their legal rights. |
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