Chief Justice of India SA Bobde (ANI)
NEW DELHI: The country’s top two judges: President of the Supreme Court India SA Bobde and next judge NV Ramana said on Saturday that judges are often easy targets for vituperative criticism on social media, as they are trained to exercise restraint and do not resort to rampant free speech like their critics.
Speaking at the launch of Judge R Banumathi’s book, CJI Bobde He said that constitutional limitations on freedom of expression prevent judges, as others should, from speaking what they feel. But Judge Ramana, who will succeed Bobde as CJI next year, spoke clearly: “Since the judges are limited to speaking in their own defense, they are now being interpreted as easy targets for criticism.”
Ramana said that the proliferation and popularity of social media has further complicated the issue, as “judges are becoming the victims of juicy gossip and defamatory posts on social media. I believe that the judiciary today requires unparalleled sacrifices in any other profession, and it is necessary to do the same, since the future of the country depends on strong and independent judges ”.
This is the second time in recent weeks that the CJI has expressed doubts about the judges who are targeted. Speaking in court, he had noted that allegations often crop up when judges are being considered for elevation. The court case was dealt with by a district judge from Madhya pradesh facing allegations of sexual harassment that dragged on.
Judge Banumathi, who recently retired from the SC after a 32-year career spanning from the lower courts to the superior court, recounted her experience as a judge in the book ‘Judiciary, Judges and the Administration of Justice‘in four parts: the judiciary as a collective institution, knowledge about being a judge, measures taken by the Center for the implementation of electronic courts and change of traditional methods of case management.
Ramana said that the public has a misconception about the life of a judge, which is a life of luxury in ivory towers. “The reality is quite different and it is difficult for others to understand. The best judges of the same are family members, who are generally torn between constraints and relationships. Judges must balance their social life to be independent. It is entirely up to the judge to maintain those self-imposed restrictions. ”
Bobde said: “A judge is called upon to play a wide range of roles, including arbitrator, mediator, counselor, sociologist, and so on. and in the midst of all this, judge the disputes that are presented to it in a conscious way about constitutional aspirations and social realities ”.
The CJI said, “The judicial mindset has to take into account various barriers and divisions that exist in society, which are reflected in the cases that reach the Court. While the judicial mind must acknowledge the existence of these social divisions and barriers, it cannot allow itself to be carried away by these prejudices and add its own prejudice to the problem. ”
Bobde said that to command the respect of the public, judges must maintain a dignified and detached demeanor. “The judicial service is not merely a job, nor are judges employed by the government. They are the holders of public trust and responsibility, ”he said.
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