'Log Itna Trast Ho Jate Hain...': CJI Chandrachud On Judicial Process Being 'Punishment' For Litigants

The Supreme Court emphasises inclusion and diversity in its Registry and aims to bring justice to the people's homes through special Lok Adalats.

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud highlighted the importance of Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, noting that people often become "so fed up" with court proceedings that they always look for any form of settlement. Lok Adalats are places where disputes and pending court cases, or those at a pre-litigation stage, are amicably settled. There is no possibility of appealing against the mutually accepted settlements.

"Log itna trast ho jate hain court ke mamlon se wo koi bhi settlement chahte hain...Bas court se dur kara dijiye (People are so fed up with the matters of the court that they just want a settlement). This process is the punishment and that is a cause of concern for all of us as judges," news agency PTI quoted Chandrachud as saying. 

The CJI acknowledged the key support from both the Bar and the Bench in establishing Lok Adalats at every level. He explained that each Lok Adalat panel consists of two judges and two members of the Bar which make sure that advocates have ownership of the institution.

"The purpose behind doing this was to give ownership to the advocates over the institution because this is not an institution which is only run by the judges, and this is not the institution of the judges, for the judges, by the judges," he said, PTI reported.

"There is so much that we learn from each other. We learnt from the advocates about how much command they have over little procedural issues," the CJI added.

'Supreme Court Serves Entire Nation': CJI Chandrachud Emphasises Inclusion

Chandrachud emphasised that while the Supreme Court is located in Delhi, it serves the entire nation. Efforts have been made to include officers from across the country in the Registry to bolster inclusion and diversity.

He stated that the special Lok Adalat began with seven benches and expanded to 13 due to so much work. The initiative aims to bring justice to the homes of the people and ensure the judiciary's constant presence in their lives.

The week-long special Lok Adalat, celebrating 75 years of the Supreme Court, aimed to "facilitate amicable settlements of suitable pending cases" with settlement potential. The top court held the special Lok Adalat till August 3 to reduce all the pending cases.