Judges must maintain absolute discretion in courtrooms: President Ram Nath Kovind

While speaking at the Valedictory event of the Constitution Day celebrations conducted by the Supreme Court, President of India Ram Nath Kovind urged the judiciary to exercise restraint while making remarks in courtrooms. .The President, who was the chief guest at the event, highlighted how a throw-away remark, even if made with good intention, could be interpreted in questionable ways and affect the image of the judiciary as a whole."It is important for judges to maintain utmost discretion in their utterances in court rooms. Indiscreet remarks, even if made with good intention, give space for dubious interpretations to run down the judiciary.".President Kovind went on to lament the manner in which users on social media, taking advantage of their relative anonymity, brazenly scorn the judiciary."It pains me no end that of late there have been instances of disparaging remarks on judiciary on social media. The media has worked to democratise information yet it has a dark side to it. The anonymity granted to the users is exploited by some miscreants.".Yesterday, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the event, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had also focused on increasing attacks on judges, be it physical or on social media, which he opined seemed sponsored and synchronised."An area of grave concern for the judiciary is the increasing attacks on judges. Physical attacks on judicial officers are on the rise. Then there are attacks on the judiciary in the media, particularly social media. These attacks appear to be sponsored and synchronised," he had said.The CJI urged Central agencies to work effectively to curb physical attacks and malicious social media attacks on judges so that the judiciary can function in a secure environment..In a similar vein, the President called for a collective examination of what might be causing increasing attacks on the judiciary, especially on social media. "I hope it's an aberration and it will be short-lived. I wonder what could be behind this phenomenon. Can we collectively examine the reason behind this?"President Kovind also surmised that the same would be essential to ensure that the judiciary can function independently. .Further, he suggested that other reforms such as the All India Judicial Service (AIJS) to centrally recruit judges on the lines of the civil services, could go a long way in ensuring the same."Independence of judiciary is non negotiable. There is a need for an All India Judicial Services. There will be other suggestions for reforms but the aim should be to strengthen the justice delivery mechanism."