CJI N V Ramana rues lack of infrastructure in lowers courts in country

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana on Wednesday rued the lack of infrastructure in lower courts and said he has written to the government expressing his anguish over the issue.

The CJI-led bench, which was hearing two PILs seeking probe into the encounter killings of four accused in a case of gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, took note of the submission of lawyer M L Sharma that there was a city civil court in a district of Uttar Pradesh which does not have its building.

There are not one, many districts where there are no court buildings, Justice Ramana said and asked Sharma to file a PIL.

There are many districts. What to do. We have asked the Centre. I wrote a letter and expressed my anguish. Even submitted a report. You can file a plea, said the bench, which also comprised justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli.

Sharma, often criticised by many for filing PILs, said that he would file one on the issue in a day.

The CJI has been expressing concern over the poor infrastructure in lower courts in the country and to address this issue, he had mooted the idea of setting up of National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation (NJIC).

Speaking at a function of the Allahabad High Court, the CJI had said, "Courts in India still operate from dilapidated structures, without proper facilities. Such a situation is severely detrimental to the experience of litigants and lawyers. It is an unpleasant work environment for court staff and judges, making it difficult to effectively perform their functions. We neglected and failed to focus on providing good infrastructure for courts in India after the British left.".