Changes needed to ensure speedy justice: CJ

Perceptible and visible changes are needed to ensure speedy justice, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice D H Waghela said today.

"We need perceptible and visible changes to ensure speedy justice," Chief Justice Waghela, who was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Karnataka yesterday, said in his reply to the welcome address by the Chairman of the State Bar Council Muniyappa.

Lauding the state's achievements, especially its capital Bangalore, the Chief Justice said "the state and the city have taken the country forward to the 21st century, especially in IT". Waghela said the atmosphere in Karnataka High Court was "very good" and his mission was to help his colleagues in administration of justice.

He said he had high hopes from the bar and wished to make Karnataka High Court a "a model high court in the country" and sought the cooperation of the Bar on this.

Earlier, Muniyappa recalled the long association of Karnataka High Court with judges of Gujarat High Court, remembering the contribution made by Justice S P Majumdar and Nanawati who served as former Chief Justices of the state High Court. "We have heard a lot about your patience which is a virtue of a judge. We have very good legal fraternity here and we will extend our full cooperation," he said.

Justice Waghela succeeds Justice Vikramjit Sen as Karnataka Chief Justice. Justice Sen was appointed as a Supreme Court judge after an apex court collegium cleared his name for elevation on December 2012. The Chief Justice post was vacant for nearly two months and senior judge K Sreedhar Rao was the acting Chief Justice.