I rely on press to know pulse of people; our (court) orders are worthless unless people know about it: Justice Devan Ramachandran

Kerala High Court Judge Justice Devan Ramachandran recently said that he relies on press reports to understand the various views and opinions of the Indian citizens about the orders and observations made by the court..Justice Ramachandran opined that without the press, the judiciary would be ineffective in actually reaching the public as its judgments would only be seen in law journals. “I rely on the press to know the pulse of the people and I always say, our orders and judgments are worthless unless people know about it. In case the press boycotts the judiciary or refuses to report, our judgments will only be remaining in the reporting journals. All the judgments that are being talked about got attention because of the press. This is the importance of the press. When the public opinion is aroused, we know we are within law. The same apples to the legislature and executive," he said..However, referring to the recent development of virtual courts as a result of the covid-19 pandemic which has further opened up courtrooms, the judge said that the close scrutiny by the press and the public have made judges' jobs harder. “When I am in court and I do my job. I do not really know what people want from me as I sit in isolation. I only get to know if I am doing my job well when the press reports my observations and orders. Now, we have the hybrid mode thanks to Covid. Sometimes bad things create good things also. Covid is one of the bad things but it has led to new developments. Now, we can watch court proceedings online and offline. This creates a lot of openness and makes it even more difficult for us. There is a complete eye of the press and people on us. This is where the press does its job and tells me if I am going a good job,” Justice Ramachandran explained..Justice Ramachandran was speaking on the "Importance of Press in Democratic India” at the inauguration of the Kozhikode Press Club's Golden Jubilee function..He began his address by emphasising that the power vested by the Constitution of India on the people is made effective by the press especially in a highly populated country like India because it creates a platform for a large number of people to raise their concerns and worries. In its absence, only the voices of a few would be heard, the judge said. He cautioned against banning or curtailing press freedom, pointing to the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, which spurred the Arab Spring, as a prime example."Every news that you carry, every information that you report, you are creating a dialogue. The importance of dialogue cannot be understood. Imagine a situation, where the press is banned or quarantined, it will be a case where we have no idea what we want and the executive will have no idea what the public wants. This will give rise to revolts and revolutions. If you see, the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, how that developed as the people could not reflect their views," he said..The press itself is democracy and the stability of the nation itself stands on the fourth pillar, he further stated.“We call the press the 4th pillar because we understand the power of the sovereign- the popular sovereign are divided into three pillars, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. But no stool with three legs can be stable, we need the fourth leg, the press. It is the leg which stabilises the entire system. This is the importance of press, sometimes we don’t really recognise much. The stability of a nation like India depends on the press- this is why I say press itself is a democracy,” he underscored..Throughout his address, Justice Ramachandran was generous in his view of the press in India and opined that whatever be the position of India in the Press Freedom Index, the Indian press has done a remarkable job as the "carriers of the nation"."The facts remain that whatever be the index in which our press may gather in the international watch dog statistics, the fact remains that the Indian press is the most vibrant in spite of all the inhibitions it (Indian Press) has to face. They (Indian Press) have done a remarkable job, particularly in Kerala. When you (Indian Press) reflect the people’s voice, you become the carriers of the nation. This is what the press has been doing by initiating a dialogue among the public," he said..India is currently ranked at 150 out of 180 nations in the most recent Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.