Delhi High Court has enriched our civil and commercial jurisdiction: CJI Surya Kant at HC's 60th founding day celebrations

The Delhi High Court on Friday started celebrations of 60 years of its founding.

It was established on October 31, 1966, under the Delhi High Court Act, 1966. Before its establishment, Delhi fell under the jurisdiction of the Punjab High Court through a circuit bench. At its founding, the High Court only had four judges.

At the inaugural event of the celebrations, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant recalled that the Delhi High Court began with only four judges but six decades later, it has evolved into an institution that resolves disputes of remarkable variety and complexity.

"This High Court deserves every appreciation for rising to those demands. It has significantly enriched our civil and commercial jurisdiction," he said.

The CJI added that the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court share a "special relationship."

"As a compliment, I will say that the Supreme Court has maintained a special relationship with the Delhi High Court, not because we are neighbours but because this court takes a disproportionate burden off the Supreme Court than any other court. Many times, when a matter is mentioned before us, we remind the counsel that the Delhi High Court is just around the corner and relief may well await them there before the matter even reaches our board," he said.

Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) President N Hariharan reminded the audience about the judges who have served on the Delhi High Court Bench. He referred to Justice HR Khanna and said that institutions are not measured in numbers, but by what they do in difficult circumstances.

"They are measured in what they do when the going gets hard. Justice HR Khanna was a judge of this High Court. This is the legacy we celebrate... Sixty years is a diamond jubilee. A diamond, it is is said, is carbon that held firm under pressure. This Court has held firm. On behalf of DHCBA, I wish it many more years of justice for all," Hariharan said.

Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath also addressed the gathering and stressed that the Delhi High Court regularly deals with matters extending far beyond the territories of the national capital.

In a lighter vein, he said that there is an aura about the judges of the Delhi High Court.

"There is a certain aura about the judges of this court. A presence that naturally commands respect and authority. I have noticed that even when they come to the Supreme Court, they carry the same confidence and dignity. Perhaps that is something that comes from spending years and deciding matters of significant importance in the national capital," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi High Court's Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Nitin Wasudeo Sambre said that the true measure of the judicial system is how swiftly and transparently the person last in the queue receives what is theirs.

"Let us pledge to make the distance between law and justice as short as possible," he added.

[Read Live Coverage]