Access to justice is a problem in our country, Justice DN Patel takes over as Delhi HC Chief Justice

There is no doubt that access to justice is a problem in our country, said Delhi High Court’s newly appointed Chief Justice, Justice DN Patel..Justice Patel assumed the office of the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court after he was administered the oath by Delhi’s Lieutenant General, Anil Baijal today..The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as well as several other Cabinet ministers..Justice Patel has succeeded Justice Rajendra Menon who retired from the office on June 6 after attaining the age of superannuation..The appointment of Justice DN Patel as Delhi High Court’s Chief Justice was cleared by the Central Government on May 22..While speaking to PTI, Justice Patel added that although justice for the poor is a priority, several poor people do not get justice as they are unable to reach the court..However, once a matter reaches the court, then there is no difference between the haves and have-nots, Justice Patel remarked..Justice Patel also stressed upon the need for compliance with court orders to ensure that Rule of Law prevailed in the country. In absence of Rule of Law, there would be rule of chaos, he said..He stated that at times, compliance with orders does not happen immediately as several steps, persons, or authorities are involved. In such situations, one cannot say that it is contempt of court as the work is still going on, he added..When asked about the increased intervention of the judiciary in the matters of the legislature and the executive, Justice Patel said that judiciary’s duty had increased as “more the laws, more are the violations“..Justice Patel also said that the notion that disposal of cases depended solely on the strength of judges in courts was wrong. He remarked that the disposal of cases was dependent on several factors..“Whatever be the strength of judges, we have to motivate them, re-adjust the human resources to have need-based transfers, which will ultimately help in disposal of cases at a faster pace.”