SC judges reworking system to avoid mentioning matters: CJI Gogoi

The newly-appointed Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday said that the Supreme Court judges are trying to devise a system which, if succeeds, will make the judicature function better to avoid any need to mention matters.

Addressing his first event after taking over as the Chief Justice, Gogoi said: "My colleagues and I are trying to evolve a system which can produce better results. We have started working on it and maybe in a couple of days, we will have it. We are trying to reduce the time between the filing and listing of cases. We are trying to introduce a system by which the cases doesn't get dropped from the list. If we succeed, a large segment of mentioning would go away automatically. It's not the Chief Justice who will drop mentioning; mentioning will die out automatically."

During the event, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh raised the strict attitude of CJI Gogoi while hearing cases and urged him to be more lenient towards the Bar, especially towards the junior lot.

"Justice Gogoi, you are known to be strict but the members of the Bar request that sometimes you will show leniency towards the Bar, especially the young members", Singh said in his speech.

However, Gogoi, in response to Singh, said: "I am what I am, I cannot change."

Responding to Attorney General KK Venugopal's call for increasing the retirement age and salaries of the judges, Gogoi observed that there would not be any takers for the post of judges even if salary and retirement age are increased unless the aura and dignity associated with the office of a judge is not maintained.

"Learned Attorney General mentioned about salaries of the judges and the age of retirement. But, give as much money as you want and raise the age to whatever you want but it would not solve the issue. Till the aura and the dignity of the office is not maintained, there will be no takers," he added.