"I am sorry:" CJI NV Ramana apologises for not paying requisite attention to issue of listing of cases

Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Friday apologised for not being able to tackle the issues plaguing listing of cases in the Supreme Court. .CJI Ramana said that pendency of cases is a challenge faced by courts in the country but he added that Indian judiciary cannot be defined or judged by one single order or judgment. "I must admit that issue of listing and posting of matters is one of the areas on which I could not pay requisite attention. I am sorry for that. We are busy in fire fighting on all days" he said.He further said that the credibility of the institution should be protected by the officers of the court and unless the credibility of the institution is intact, it cannot command respect from the people in the society. "Indian judiciary has grown with time. It cannot be defined or judged by one single order or judgment. At all times, the majesty of this great institution shall be protected and defended by the bench and the bar," he added..Indian judiciary cannot be defined or judged by one single order or judgment.CJI NV Ramana .To deal with pendency, he said that the functioning of the system has to be reformed and modern technology will have to be deployed. "We need to deploy modern technologies courts and artificial intelligence (AI) to find the lasting solutions. Even though we tried developing some modules because of compatibility issues and security issues we could not make such progress, due to COVID-19, our priority was running of court. Unlike commercial establishments we cannot secure products from the market," CJI added.The CJI further said that the needs of the judiciary are different from those of the rest and unless the bar is willing to extend its whole-hearted cooperation, it would become difficult to bring about necessary changes..CJI Ramana also had a word of advice for the senior members of the Bar, asking them to guide their juniors on the correct path. "In last 16 months, only 50 days of full hearing could be conducted. Of course each one of us have to make out own contribution. I have done my bit to the best of my ability. I tried to meet needs of bar whether it be creating space of lawyers or something else," he added.