Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that the government, the Bench and the Bar were all part of one big team, who were working in close coordination to reduce the pendency of cases in the country.
Speaking during the 150th anniversary of Allahabad High Court Bar Association at Prayagraj, the Union Minister said that around 4.9 crore cases were pending in different courts of the country.
Terming the delay in delivery of justice as a matter of concern, Rijiju said the government officials, Judges, lawyers and the Court staff, all were working very hard for quick disposal of these cases.
He further said that the Judiciary did a commendable job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The efforts made by the Indian Judiciary during the pandemic were praised both inside and outside the country, he added.
Stating that all of them were servants of the country, the Minister said he was fortunate to have got this opportunity to work for the development of the country. He added that the Ministry of Law has been allotted Rs 7,000 crore, which would be used for development of the Judiciary.
Rijiju said it was a matter of great pleasure for him to come to Prayagraj on completion of 150 years of the establishment of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association.
He said the Allahabad High Court had to make an important contribution for the development and smooth functioning of e-court.
Rijiju suggested that both the Judges and the lawyers should use Hindi in district courts, High Courts and even the Supreme Court. The Minister added that the government was working to repeal the British era laws.
Those present on the occasion included Supreme Court Judges – Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Vikram Nath; Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal; High Court Judges – Justice Pritinkar Diwakar and Justice Ramesh Sinha; Advocate General Ajay Mishra; Allahabad High Court Bar Association President R.K. Ojha and its Secretary S.D. Singh Jadaun, along with a large number of Advocates.
Justice Vikram Nath, who started his career as a lawyer of this High Court in 1987, said that he learned the importance of hard work from his mentors Yatindra Singh and his father Chaudhary Ji. Speaking about the Union MInister, Justice Nath said he was a simple man, possessing many talents. The Supreme Court Judge then recited a poem by Kumar Vishwas for Rijiju. He said in the past 150 years, the Allahabad High Court has given stalwarts to the nation.
Justice Krishna Murari said he came to Prayagraj in 1977. Stating that he started his law practice from Allahabad High Court in 1982, the Supreme Court Judge said his initial years were full of struggle as there was no money. He said this High Court has contributed a lot in the freedom struggle. Stating that Allahabad HCBA was the biggest bar in Asia, Justice Murari said he was proud to have been a member of this bar.
Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal said it was a matter of great pride that this historic event took place during his tenure. Calling the Allahabad HCBA as a big bar and the Allahabad High Court as one of the biggest High Courts in the country, the Chief Justice said that the Bar and the Bench should take inspiration from Advocates such as Kanhaiya Lal Misra, Shanti Bhushan and Keshari Nath Tripathi, who started from this High Court.
Justice Pritinker Diwaker said that the Advocates devoted a large chunk of their time to their profession and spent less time with their families. Lawyers and Judges were an intellectual community, who would gather under one roof in a court. The Allahabad HCBA started with four advocates and has swelled to 31000 now.
He said he has never seen such unity in such a big bar. The High Court Judge requested the Law Minister to provide a hi-tech library for the High Court. He further said that neither the Bench, nor the Bar are responsible for pending cases in the Allahabad High Court.