New Delhi: Responding to the concerns raised by the Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju over huge backlog of cases in the country, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Saturday said that the non-filling up of judicial vacancies was the major reason behind the pendency of cases, according to a report by Live Law. Expressing concerns over the rising number of pending cases, Rijiju said that the pendency can be reduced with coordination between the judiciary and the government.
“I am glad that he has taken up the issue of pendency. We judges also, when we go outside the country, we also face the same question: how many years will a case take place? You all know the reasons for pendency. I need not elaborate on it. I already indicated this in the last chief justices-chief ministers conference. You all know the major important reason is the non-filling up of the judicial vacancies and not improving the judicial infrastructure,” the report quoted CJI Ramana as saying.
The Chief Justice of India further said that political opposition is translating into hostility and that it is not a sign of healthy democracy. He said that there used to be a mutual respect between government and opposition that is now diminishing.
Speaking at an event organised at the Rajasthan Assembly by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), CJI Ramana said, "Political opposition should not translate into hostility, which we have been sadly witnessing these days. These are not signs of a healthy democracy."
He also raised concerns over the quality of legislative performance.
"Sadly, the country is witnessing a decline in the quality of legislative performance," CJI Ramana said, adding laws are being passed without detailed deliberations and scrutiny.