Advocates and judges must conduct themselves in a manner befitting the stature, CJI Sathasivam said.
CHENNAI: Though people do not elect judges and advocates, the two are answerable and accountable to the public, said Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the Rs 4.2-crore Alternative Disputes Redressal (ADR) Centre and laying foundation for a new administrative block for the Madras high court in the presence of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, he said judiciary was enjoying enormous public confidence and trust, and hence advocates and judges must conduct themselves in a manner befitting the stature.
Later in the evening, while addressing members of various Bar associations, Justice Sathasivam called upon lawyers to work towards improving the public image and perception of the profession. "The image of the lawyer must change in the eyes of the society. I am confident that the day when all the lawyers wilfully offer their services both as advisor and as advocate, our society will revere the profession."
While talking to reporters, Justice Sathasivam ruled out the possibility of establishing regional benches of the Supreme Court in different parts of the country.
He said there might not be any consensus on the location of regional benches. As for a southern bench of the apex court, he said, "You will demand that it be based in Chennai, but similar demands might arise from Hyderabad or Bangalore."
He said even the all India conference of chief justices and chief ministers could not take a final decision on the matter, and added that the demand was misplaced as the apex court proceedings could be followed on real-time basis from any part of the country. "Right now no decision is likely on formation of regional benches of the Supreme Court," Justice Sathasivam said.
Asked about the frequent lawyer-police clash in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Justice of India said advocates and police were not enemies and that both were working for the welfare of people. "They must understand the scope of each other's job nature," he said.
As for the continuing demand for recognising Tamil as language of the high court, he said the Madras high court has forwarded a favourable recommendation in that regard. But the government and other agencies must create necessary infrastructure including law books in Tamil and necessary clerical assistance.
Justice Sathasivam recalled that his senior K Duraisamy had assigned him a court work on the very day of his enrolment. India had approximately 12 lakh registered advocates, and every year 60,000 to 70,000 law graduates are joining the profession, he said.
Noting that the Supreme Court has introduced a system wherein the listing of cases and the bench before which they are listed would be conveyed to advocates and litigants through SMS and email, he said shortly the service would be extended to daily orders as well.
Earlier in the day, Jayalalithaa made an announcement of sorts when she said the acting Chief Justice of the Madras high court, Justice R K Agrawal, would soon be a chief justice and Justice R Banumathi would soon be Chief Justice of Jharkhand high court.
"The growing population, increasing awareness of rights and the abiding confidence of people in the judiciary have witnessed a tremendous spurt in litigation. However, in the Indian context, lack of awareness of legal provisions, mystifying legal terms, delays in disposal and the prohibitive cost of litigation are some of the barriers in the way of accessing justice. The cost of litigation has increased exponentially," she said. The CM also recalled her government's initiatives for the welfare of women and children, and said it was an area close to her heart
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