The Hindu : CJI resents poor funds allocation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

CJI resents poor funds allocation

By Our Staff Reporter

The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Subhashan Reddy, having a word with the Chief Justice of India, Justice S. P. Barucha, at the inauguration of the third All-India meet of the State Legal Authorities in Chennai on Saturday. The Supreme Court Judge, Justice N. Kripal, is looking on .— Photo: S. Mahinsha

CHENNAI March 9 . The Chief Justice of India, Justice S.P. Bharucha, has expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the State Governments to provide necessary funds for increasing number of judges in all courts across the board.

Inaugurating the third All-India meet of the State Legal Services Authorities here today, Mr. Justice Bharucha said, `` according to an estimate made by the Law Commission in its 127th report in 1988, we need 107 Judges per million of population.

``There are 12 or 13 judges per million, and there is no immediate prospect of any significant increase in the number because all the States claim that they cannot allocate additional funds for the judiciary. All this, despite the fact that only 0.2 per cent of the GNP is expended on the judiciary and half of this is recovered in the form of court fees and fines,'' he lamented.

Emphasising the need for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms like the Lok Adalats, Mr. Justice Bharucha said permanent and continuous adalats must be established and the tempo maintained.

Describing the attitude of States as unfortunate, the Chief Justice said, ``the Governments are unwilling to provide the State Legal Services Authorities with necessary funds. It is a travesty of the Legal Services Authorities Act to deny the forum money to carry out its objectives'', he added.

Justice B. N. Kirpal of the Supreme Court, the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, said two spheres— expenses involved in litigation and delay in disposal of cases— needed to be addressed immediately.

He also invited suggestions on arbitration and conciliation from the participating judicial officers.

Another Supreme Court Judge, G. B. Pattanaik, Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, lamented that the State, which was the largest litigant, preferred appeals after appeals to settlement of disputes through the Legal Services Authorities.

Also, even 50 years after Independence, not everybody had easy access to justice, he said, adding that every district headquarters should have a permanent and continuous legal aid set-up to help the masses.

The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, B. Subhashan Reddy, said it was the duty of the Authority to ensure that legal aid was not denied to any citizen.

He also said legal aid clinics were being conducted in four law colleges in the State, in addition to scores of legal aid camps organised all over the State.

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