“The greatest strength of the judiciary is the people’s faith in it,” Judge Ramana said. (Proceedings)
New Delhi:
The highest ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Justice NV Ramana has said that the greatest strength of the judiciary is the faith of the people in it and judges must be “firm in their principles” and “courageous in their decisions” to resist all the pressures and possibilities.
Judge Ramana’s comments are important in the context of a recent unprecedented move by Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to make accusations against him in a letter to the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde.
Speaking at a condolence meeting on Saturday for former Supreme Court Justice AR Lakshmanan, who passed away on August 27, Judge Ramana said: “The greatest strength of the judiciary is the people’s faith in it. , trust and acceptability cannot be imposed, they must be earned. “
Judge Ramana’s comments at a public function are the first since the controversy erupted after the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh wrote the letter.
The chief magistrate added that “there are countless qualities a person needs to live what can be called a good life: humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and the enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve.”
“The most important thing, especially for a judge, must be firm in his principles and courageous in his decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to resist all pressures and obstacles and to face all obstacles with courage,” he said. He said.
Recalling the former judge, Judge Ramana said: “We must all take inspiration from his words and strive to engage a vibrant and independent judiciary that is required in today’s times.”
He said he believes Judge Lakshmanan embodies all the qualities necessary to be one of the best judges the country has seen.
Judge Ramana said, “Our values are ultimately our greatest wealth, and we must never forget the same,” adding that Judge Lakshmanan wore his values on his sleeves and has learned immensely from him about being a good person and a judge.
Judge Lakshmanan, originally from Tamil Nadu, was appointed permanent judge of the Madras High Court in 1990 and became President of the Rajasthan High Court and also as president of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
He was elevated as a Supreme Court Justice in 2002 and served until his retirement in 2007.
During his tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, Justice Lakshmanan served on various banks of the Constitution and contributed to more than 200 judgments that addressed wide-ranging topics, including taxes, management of religious institutions, service issues, labor laws, and employee welfare.
After his retirement, he was appointed chairman of the Law 18 Commission of India and submitted 32 full reports to the Government of India recommending various measures to improve the judicial system in the country.
Various law bodies across the country, including the Indian Council of Lawyers, the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCAORA) and the Delhi High Court Bar Association have condemned the act. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister of drafting the “unjustified” letter to the Chief Justice making accusations against the acting Chief Justice.
In an unprecedented move, the prime minister wrote the letter dated October 6 to the CJI, claiming that the Andhra Pradesh High Court was being used to “destabilize and overthrow my democratically elected government.”
He had asked the CJI to investigate the matter and consider initiating the steps “that are considered opportune and adequate to guarantee that the neutrality of the state judiciary is maintained.”
The prime minister had alleged that the superior judge of the court was close to the head of the TDP, Chandrababu Naidu, and that a “former judge of the honorable Supreme Court recorded this fact.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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