The Chief Justice of India (CJI), DY Chandrachud, emphasized on Saturday that the district judiciary plays a pivotal role as the ‘backbone of the judiciary’ and urged an end to referring to it as the subordinate judiciary. He made these remarks at the inaugural function of the National Conference of the District Judiciary, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Supreme Court judges, and other judicial officers.
District Judiciary’s Crucial Role
CJI Chandrachud highlighted that the district judiciary is the first point of contact for citizens seeking justice and is essential to upholding the rule of law. “The quality of our work and the conditions under which we deliver justice determine public confidence and test our accountability to society.
The district judiciary, therefore, shoulders a tremendous responsibility and should rightfully be considered the ‘backbone of the judiciary.’ To sustain the spine of the legal system, we must abandon the outdated term ‘subordinate judiciary,’ a relic of the British era,” said the CJI.
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Balancing Professional Work with Mental Well-being
CJI Chandrachud also addressed the emotional toll on judicial officers who deal with a wide range of cases and the suffering of parties involved.
He noted, “It is challenging for judges not to be affected by the real-life suffering they encounter whether it is a family facing a gruesome crime, an undertrial languishing for years, or children caught in parental disputes. Judges, despite their professionalism, are impacted by their exposure to such realities. This aspect is crucial but often overlooked.”
Increasing Female Representation in District Judiciary
The CJI praised the rising number of women joining the district judiciary, noting significant statistics. “In recent years, there has been an increase in female participation in the district judiciary, with Kerala leading with 72 percent of its judicial officers being women.
In Rajasthan, 58 percent of Civil Judges recruited in 2023 were women, and 66 percent of judicial officers appointed in Delhi in 2023 were also women,” he said. “In Uttar Pradesh, 54 percent of Civil Judge (Junior Division) appointments in the 2022 batch were women. These examples reflect a promising future for our judiciary.”
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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