Delhi High Court CJ Manmohan flags health of court staff and judges due to burnout

Delhi High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Manmohan on Friday highlighted the shortage of judges plaguing courts and lamented that judges and court staff are overworked due to the same..He said that he is worried about the health of judges and court staff due to being overworked.“Everyone is working very hard to fix the issues. We are all so hard pressed. I am worried about the physical health of my staff and judges,” the CJ said.He also highlighted the urgent need to upgrade judicial infrastructure to cope with the rise in litigation so that public faith in courts is not shaken.He said that more judges and greater digitisation of courts would be required to maintain the confidence of public in judicial institutions. “The confidence of the public and of the business community on the institution is very high. We cannot let this fade. We need better infrastructure, more judges and more digitisation to continue to maintain this confidence,” he stated. However, he clarified that he was not blaming the government or any other stakeholders for the present state of judicial infrastructure since a developing country like India has many other needs. “I am not blaming the government, there are pressing needs in a developing economy. But we have infrastructural needs.”He was speaking at the inaugural session of the third International Bar Association India Litigation and ADR symposium on the topic “Effectiveness of the Indian justice system.”.CJ Manmohan began his address by stating that Indian judiciary has always remained independent and autonomous. “Our system is independent and autonomous. No one howsoever big they maybe no one can game the system,” he opined. Elaborating further, the CJ noted that in an open court, whenever a judge is making a mistake, the judge will have 200 people looking at him conveying the message. “With digitisation, there are more than 1000 people watching you. So there is transparency, checks and balance in this system,” he said. He noted that at present, public confidence in the institution is at an all time high and cited the increase in the number of cases being filed as a proof of people's faith in judiciary.“The public confidence in the institution is at an all time high. Any matter of public importance comes to my court. Maybe the minister has decided or not decided it comes to my court. Irrespective of how many cases are filed, there is no matter that doesn’t get heard by the court,” he stated. The Chief Justice specifically highlighted that cases with global implications were being filed before High Court like those pertaining to Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and this indicated that even the business community has immense trust in the court.. “Today I am working with 36 judges, the population of Delhi is 33 million, look at the pressure. There are pending recommendations with the collegium for appointment of judges. This week 103 people have been recruited in the district judiciary, but they don’t have rooms to sit.”The CJ further noted that the laws have drastically changed in the last decade and lauded the government for ushering in reforms such as Goods and Services Tax, Commercial Courts Act 2015 and the new criminal laws. “There is enough litigation taking but the problem is with regard to infrastructure. The problem with judicial side is more to do with certainty and predictability in litigation. It must attain finality and come to an end,” he said. He conceded that a developing economy like India has many other needs such as healthcare and infrastructure for public and judicial infrastructure in the country will improve only if judiciary becomes its priority. .Attorney General for India R Venkataramani and Union Law Minister (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal also spoke at the event. Venkataramani emphasised the need for a dedicated institution for court and legal reforms. “We don’t have institutions dedicated exclusively to court and legal reforms. Such dedicated institutions will give data and tell you what needs to be done,” he stated. Meghwal stressed on the need for introspection to bring about reforms in judiciary. .The IBA also felicitated Dr. Lalit Bhasin, the president of Society of Indian Law Firms and the Managing Partner of law firm Bhasin and Co.