Present times witnessing belligerent behaviour by few

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Sunday said the present times are witnessing "belligerent and reckless behaviour" by a few individuals and some groups.

He, however, expressed optimism that such developments are just "exceptions" and will be defeated by the strong traditions of the country's legal institutions.

"I am hopeful that such incidents would turn out to be exceptions and that the strong traditions and ethos of our institution shall always assist our stakeholders to display resilience to overcome the belligerence of such wayward constituents," Gogoi said after laying the foundation stone of an auditorioum of the Gauhati High Court here.

The CJI said that unlike offices or establishments of the government, courts are unique with multiple stakeholders converging every day to facilitate and make the wheels of justice move forward, even though they may not be bound by any single hierarchy of commands.

"Today, I feel compelled to assert that judges and judicial officers must remember that public faith and confidence, on which our institution lives and survives, is largely built on the basis of orders and judgements passed by us," he added.

The CJI also said that getting selected to be a judicial functionary is an opportunity to serve this hallowed institution, whose value is always immeasurably more than what can be reasonably visualised.