Judiciary yet to meet aspirations for affordable justice: Pranab

Inaugurating the 150th anniversary celebration of Allahabad High Court on Sunday, he said justice must be “accessible, affordable and quick” for people to understand the meaning of justice. The President said as an upholder of the Rule of Law and enforcer of the right to liberty, the role of the judiciary was sacrosanct and the faith and confidence people have in it must be always maintained. 

“Though the Indian judiciary has many strengths, it is yet to fully meet the aspirations of our people for speedy and affordable justice,” he said at the sesquicentennial celebration. Mukherjee noted that the judiciary has played an important role since independence in strengthening the democratic framework of the country and maintaining rule of law. 

“High Courts in particular have a unique position under the Constitution of India. They are not only guardians of people’s rights and liberty, they also have the onerous responsibility of ensuring that access to justice is not denied to any citizen on account of economic or any other disability,” the President said. 

He said judiciary which is one of the three important pillars of our democracy, is the final interpreter of the Constitution and it must help maintain social order by swiftly and effectively dealing with those on the wrong side of the law. 

“Our courts are today overburdened on account of number of cases pending before them. There are over three crore cases pending in various courts throughout the country.”