Page 4 - Justice

Undertrial prisoners should be produced via video-conferencing : Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court has said undertrial prisoners should be produced before courts via video-conferencing (VC) whenever permissible, as bringing them physically to courts for every hearing was a cumbersome procedure. A single bench of Bharati Dangre directed the Maharashtra government to make necessary funds available to ensure that every court is provided screens and other video-conferencing facilities. The court order dated November 10 was made available on Friday. The issue was raised in a bail plea filed by one Tribhuvansing Yadav, who had claimed that his application for bail in the lower court was adjourned on 23 occasions, as he was not produced before the court physically or through video-conferencing. The bench noted that as per a report submitted by the inspector of prisons and correctional services in September, 39 prisons in Maharashtra have 329 sanctioned video-conferencing units, of which 291 were functional. The court, in its order, stated that if the facility is

Imperative to amplify justice needs of under-represented: CJI Chandrachud

Access to justice cannot be secured only by crafting pro-people jurisprudence in judgments, but requires active progress on the administrative side of a court, such as improving infrastructure and enhancing legal-aid services, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Monday. Speaking at the first "Regional Conference on Access to Legal Aid: Strengthening Access to Justice in the Global South" organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) here, Justice Chandrachud said the challenge before judges is not to do justice in the facts of an individual case, but to institutionalise the processes and look beyond the immediate as well. The CJI said the judiciary has the potential to play an extraordinary role in strengthening access to justice, as has been uniquely displayed by several countries in the "Global South". He said the complexities of law and process, the inequality between ordinary citizens and powerful adversaries, judicial delays and the belief that the syste

Imperative to amplify justice needs of under-represented, says CJI

Access to justice cannot be secured only by crafting pro-people jurisprudence in judgements but requires active progress on the administrative side of the court such as improving infrastructure and enhancing legal aid services, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Monday. Speaking at the first Regional Conference on Access to Legal Aid organised by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) here, Chandrachud said the challenge for judges is not to do justice in the facts of the individual case but to institutionalise the processes and look beyond the immediate as well. "Access to justice is not a right that can be secured only by crafting pro-people jurisprudence in our judgements rather it requires active progress on the administrative side of the court as well," Chandrachud said. The CJI said the discourse about human rights and access to justice has historically been monopolised by voices from the Global North (industrialised nations) which makes such dialogues ...

At least 6-month jail for selling adulterated food: Parliamentary panel

The committee also observed that "most cases under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, are acquitted because of procedural lapses in sample collection, etc."

Shah asks police leadership to ensure timely justice, rights of citizens

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged the police leadership to provide timely justice to citizens and ensure a system that would guarantee the constitutional rights of the people. Addressing the concluding session of the National Security Strategies Conference here, Shah also asked police to work for a criminal justice system based on new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the use of forensic science among others. The home minister urged the top police leadership to transform their approach to dealing with the country's internal security problems, according to an official statement. He laid emphasis on the use of modern technology in policing and suggested the implementation from lower police ranks of constabulary to the higher formations. Quoting the recently introduced bills in Parliament to replace the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act, Shah laid down a vision for revamping the entire criminal justice system. He told the police officers that when the new

Greatest challenge is to eliminate barriers to accessing justice: CJI

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud Tuesday said the greatest challenge before the Indian judiciary is to eliminate barriers to accessing justice and make sure that the judiciary is inclusive and accessible to the last person in the line. Soon after being lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on the Independence Day for the apex court's move to translate operative parts of judgements in regional languages, the CJI said till now, 9,423 judgements of the top court have been translated in regional languages. Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the apex court lawns, the CJI also talked about efforts of the apex court to make all its 35,000 judgements available to citizens in regional languages. He also said that there is a need to overhaul the infrastructure on a priority basis to make courts accessible and inclusive. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who was also present at th

Bombay HC judge Rohit Deo resigns, says can't work against self-respect

As justice Rohit Deo announced his resignation, he also encouraged lawyers to work hard and apologised for being strict with them on certain occasions

Will the daughters get justice in this atmosphere of fear: Vinesh Phogat

Asian Games gold medallist and one of the prominent faces of the wrestlers' protest against WFI chief, Vinesh Phogat on Thursday wondered if the country's daughters would get justice in this "atmosphere of fear and intimation". Phogat's tweet came days after the 'minor', whose complaint had formed basis of FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under the POCSO Act withdrew her sexual harassment allegations against the outgoing WFI president. "Will the daughters get justice in the atmosphere of fear and intimidation???" Vinesh wrote on her Twitter handle. In another tweet, she said, "May these daughters not lose courage one by one because of the delay in this fight for justice??? God give courage to all." The minor wrestler's father told PTI that they levelled sexual harassment charges against Singh because he wanted to settle score with the WFI chief, who he held responsible for his daughter's defeat in trials for the Under 17 Asian Championships. Vinesh, along with Olympic medalli

Justice to be done in Manipur: Amit Shah spreads message of peace

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday directed strict action against the perpetrators of violence in Manipur and assured the state complete support of the Centre in ensuring lasting peace, according to an official statement. The directives came after Shah held a series of meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, representatives of Meitei and Kuki communities and other stakeholders to review the measures taken in the last two days for restoring peace to the state. He also urged discussions with all factions and spread the message of peace. He assured justice would be done, according to the statement. Shah directed strict action against the perpetrators of violence and assured complete support and help of the central government for ensuring lasting peace, the statement said. The home minister assured that the government would take all measures to protect various communities in the state. He stressed on expediting the process of relief and rehabilitation so as to minimis

Justice delayed

India Justice Report points to low priority in state spending

Karnataka at top in delivery of justice among 18 large states: IJR

The report said that in the list of seven small states, with a population less than one crore each, Sikkim is at the top followed by Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura is at rank three

Reformative to retributive justice

Two contradictory court judgments this week raise an uncomfortable question: Has the judiciary, from the trial court to the Supreme Court, moved from a reformative institution to a retributive one?

Indo-American woman judge named first justice of a district court in US

Tejal Mehta, an Indian-American woman judge who promised to make a real impact to the community and treat people with compassion, has taken oath as the first justice of a district court in the US state of Massachusetts. Mehta will serve as the first justice of the Ayer District Court. Her swearing-in took place on Thursday. She has served as an associate justice with the same court and was unanimously selected and sworn in by Judge Stacey Fortes, chief justice of the District Court, on March 2, the Lowell Sun newspaper reported. I'm confident that with her leadership ... that the best is yet to come for the Ayer District Court, said Fortes, chief justice of the District Court, who selected Mehta for the position and swore her in during the ceremony. As a lawyer, you can help people, but you can only help them to a point, Mehta said, adding that As a judge, you can do so much more and get to the root of issues and talk to people in such a way that really gets through to them. I hav

UCC constitutional objective to deliver uniform justice: Arif Mohammed Khan

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday said a uniform civil code is the constitutional objective to deliver uniform justice to all communities, and added that a wrong narrative was being built around it. He was here to attend India Minority Conclave 2023, organised by NID Foundation. "Uniform civil code is the constitutional objective to deliver uniform justice that is common for all communities. There is a wrong narrative being built around uniform civil code that by adopting it there will be intrusion in our religious practices or the existence of other countries will be in-danger," he said. "The provisions of uniform civil code are to offer equal justice to women belonging to different communities, be it matrimonial disputes or inheritance of property disputes. "Women in our country have been subjected to injustice due to different definitions of personal laws adopted by different communities and so there is a need to bring such a uniform law which has the same provisions

Law is not static but dynamic: SC judge stresses importance of learning

Stressing the importance of continuous learning, Justice B R Gavai of the Supreme Court said on Sunday that law is not static but dynamic and changes should be taken into account by legal practitioners. Justice Gavai was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 19th K K Luthra Memorial Moot Court at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University. He said law students today are "lucky" as they get both legal and practical education and added that in his time, "law school was considered a last resort". According to a statement, "He stated that the practice of law is an eternal process of learning and that one must continue to learn until the end of one's career.... Law by its nature is not static but dynamic, and changes should be taken into account because the law and the Constitution are for the people." The Campus Law Centre hosted the moot court in the memory of noted jurist K K Luthra. The international moot court saw participation from 96 institutions from India and countries such a

Virtual court hearings have increased efficiency, says Justice Kaul

Virtual court hearings have increased efficiency and it is necessary to utilise this system for which a vast infrastructure has been created and even large amount of money sanctioned by the government, Supreme Court Judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said on Sunday. Speaking at the concluding session of the four-day long Delhi Arbitration Weekend', Justice Kaul said when the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the international arbitration community shifted to the virtual system and gradually virtual or hybrid hearings will become a norm and physical hearings will become an exception. To keep the wheels of justice moving as much as possible, we introduced virtual hearing in courts and India being a developing country, faced infrastructural and connectivity issues but it did not take long for the stakeholders to find a way of operating efficiently, he said. Justice Kaul was speaking on the topic Arbitration Vision 2030: What the Future Beholds?' I would say the virtual system has

Justice Sonia Gokani sworn in as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court

Justice Sonia Gokani was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on Thursday, becoming the first woman judge to be elevated to the post at the high court, just a few days before her retirement on February 25. Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office to Justice Gokani at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Judge of Supreme Court Justice Bela Trivedi, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state Law and Justice Minister Rishikesh Patel were present on the occasion. Justice Gokani's appointment was approved by the Centre on February 12, and she had been serving as Chief Justice (Designate) since February 13. Her appointment came as Justice Aravind Kumar was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court. Justice Gokani, who joins as the 28th Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, will retire on February 25, making her tenure the shortest. Born on February 26, 1961, in Gujarat's Jamnagar, she was elevated as the additional judge of the ...

SC to conduct accessibility audit of premises by specially abled persons

The Supreme Court has decided to conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit with an aim to understand the hardships faced by specially abled persons and ensure their better access to the justice system. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities which is observed on December 3 every year, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud constituted a Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility chaired by a sitting judge. In a statement, the Supreme Court said the committee will be headed by Justice S Ravindra Bhat, who has been asked to conduct an accessibility audit extending to both physical as well as technology accessibility. "The committee has also been tasked to prepare and release a questionnaire for persons with disabilities, who visit the Supreme Court premises to assess the nature and extent of the problems they face," it said, adding that inputs will also be sought by the committee from Supreme Court advocates, litigants and interns. The committee will also include a professor from th

In court, Centre defends excluding Dalit Muslims, Christians from SC list

It told the Supreme Court the Ranganath Mishra Commission, which had recommended the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the SC list, took a myopic view of the issue and was 'flawed'

A fresh beginning

Justice Chandrachud's term will be closely followed