Courts subservient only to Constitution, must serve only litigants: CJI DY Chandrachud

Courts in India are subservient only to the Constitution of India and must serve no might except the litigants who approach it, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Tuesday..He emphasised that courts and judges are public service providers and not merely symbols of sovereign power. "The court must subserve no might but (the) Constitution and be in service to no one but the litigant. Our courts are not merely sights of sovereign power but are also essentially public service providers." the CJI said.He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of additional court buildings in Karkardooma, Shastri Park and Rohini in Delhi. The ceremony was organised by the Delhi High Court. .In his speech, CJI Chandrachud also explained how public buildings should be accessible to disabled persons. In this regard, he recounted a story concerning Stephen Hawking's visit to New Delhi. The scientist was keen to visit historical monuments in the national capital, CJI Chandrachud recounted. "I am reminded of a story, where disability rights groups had been requesting for accessibility measures at India’s historical monuments. When Stephen Hawking, the great physicist and cosmologist came to India, he wished to see Indian monuments. To enable his movement, temporary wooden ramps were installed at four historical monuments. It is believed that if you touch the Qutub Minar and make a wish, it comes true. When Stephen Hawking was asked what he wished for at Qutub Minar, he said that ‘I wish when I leave, these ramps remain,'" the CJI said..He further underscored how the constitutional system is fundamentally premised on the virtues of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity."The foundation of a court must be sound – both in its structural and philosophical capacity," he stated..The event was also attended by Supreme Court judges, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, Delhi High Court judge Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Delhi Education and Public Works Department minister Atishi Marlena..In his welcome address, Justice Shakdher, who is also the Chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee, said that the three additional court buildings would be a step towards embarking upon a journey to give the people of Delhi a state-of-the-art infrastructure based on universal design and inclusivity. "The three court structures we aim to construct would comprise 208 courts, 401 lawyers chambers with facilities of vulnerable witnesses courts, multi-level parking and auditorium. ...A project like this will touch the lives of many in society. It would be our endeavour to ensure that each individual who crosses the line of these buildings would get the feeling of meaningful participation and go away with the feeling of meaningfully participating in the court process," Justice Shakdher said..Acting Chief Justice Manmohan observed that district courts are the foundation stone of the judicial system and the first contact point for the litigants.Justice Manmohan expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court as well for its timely indulgence which removed deadlocks in the implementation of the court construction project. "The three projects whose foundation stones are being laid today were pending approval for funds since March, 2021. Despite best efforts of a number of individuals and committees, these three projects were stuck in a logjam. It was only due to the time bound directions passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Malik Mazhar Sultan v. UPSC and Others that these projects came to fruition in a short span of five months. Let me state this candidly that without the efforts and guidance of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, these projects would not have become a reality," Justice Manmohan said.Justice Manmohan also said that the three additional court buildings would be rated 'green buildings' by the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) and would be equipped with all the climate change resilience measures..Supreme Court judge Justice Hima Kohli said that adequate judicial infrastructure is the life blood of an efficient justice delivery system. "In the absence of good infrastructure, justice will not be served," Justice Kohli said.Justice Kohli also expressed her happiness with regard to the progress made in carrying out infrastructure projects for the judiciary. "When I was the judge of the Delhi High Court, I remember many of these projects were in the pipeline. A little nudge from the Supreme Court has activated all concerned. I hope timelines are adhered to," Justice Kohli said..Atishi Marlena assured the gathering that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Delhi is determined to fulfil the promise of justice and will provide all support to the judiciary. She informed that since AAP came to power in the State, the budgetary allocation for the Delhi High Court and district courts has increased significantly."Before we came to power, the total allocatory budget was ₹760 crore. This allocation has been steadily increased and today stands at more than ₹3,000 crores as our budget allocation for the courts," she said..Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said that in a vast democracy like India, the rule of law and justice is required to secure the rights of the last man in the queue. To achieve this, LG Saxena said that it is important to ensure that judicial infrastructure is prioritised.