Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has laid down the foundation stone for the new High Court complex in Raika in Jammu.
Speaking on the occasion, the CJI said the step would help in making justice available to every section of the society, especially the underprivileged.
Terming the judicial officers as frontline warriors who should meet the expectations of the common man, the CJI said the foundation of the new High Court and IT initiatives would prove to be significant steps in bringing about reforms in the judicial delivery system.
A National Service and Tracking of Electronic Process (N-STEP) for the district courts of Union Territories, along with a Document Management System (DMS) for the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh was also launched during the event.
Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal joined the event online through video-conferencing. He assured financial assistance to the Jammu and Kashmir government for the development of judicial structure.
The event was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor B.D. Mishra, Supreme Court judges- Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, and Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh N. Kotiswar Singh.
Mobile phones with N-STEP were distributed to process servers. A video presentation showcasing the functions of DMS was also displayed on the occasion.
Earlier, the Young Lawyers Association (YLA ) had remarked that relocation of the Jammu Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court from Janipur to Raika would bring hardships for advocates and litigants, especially for females and senior citizens.
It pointed out that relocation was a gross misuse of government exchequer when sufficient space was available in Raika court complex for additional infrastructure such as Consumer Commission, Armed Forces Tribunal and other statutory tribunals required for the different sections for the society.