“The courts in the country are under tremendous pressure due to the weakness of the executive and the legislature,” Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj on said on Wednesday.
Delivering his lecture on ‘The Rule of Law and Indian Judiciary’ at a programme organised by Bangalore Advocates’ Association at the High Court Bhardwaj said a democratic nation like India requires a powerful judiciary. “The writ jurisdiction and judicial review are the unique features of the Indian judiciary. There will be lawlessness when the rule of law is violated,” he said.
Bhardwaj said the functioning of the courts would be stalled if judges are not appointed on time. “In Karnataka, the judges from the High Court have to go to Dharwad and Gulbarga division benches and this affects high court proceedings. When I was the law minister, we used to anticipate vacancies in the judiciary and appoint judges in time”, Bhardwaj added.
Talking on making justice accessible to the rural masses, Bhardwaj said, “I had initiated the process to start 9,000 grameen nyayalayas in the rural areas when I was the law minister. However, nothing has happened after I quit”.
Highlighting the need to give importance to junior members of the Bar, Bhardwaj said, “The courts should hear junior advocates with the same zeal with which it hears senior advocates. If only a few seniors get promoted, that will be against the principles of justice”.