Justice NV Ramana proposes National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation to cater to infrastructure demands of judiciary

Central and State governments should come together to create a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation to cater to the rising need for judicial infrastructure in the country, Supreme Court judge Justice NV Ramana said on Saturday..Such a body will help bring uniformity and standardisation in judicial infrastructure, Justice Ramana who is set to take over as the next Chief Justice of India on April 24 said. ."Talking of impediments in the path of modernisation, financial constraints must never come in the path of progress. There is a need for the Centre and States to co-operate and create a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation, as a one- time measure, to cater to the need for judicial infrastructure in the country. Such a corporation would bring the uniformity and standardization required to revolutionize judicial infrastructure," he said. .Understanding of judicial infrastructure has to transcend beyond the issues of pendency, vacancy or the number of court rooms and it should involve modernization, upgradation and creating a “barrier free, citizen-friendly environment”, he added. .Justice Ramana, who was speaking at the inaugural event of the new Bombay High Court building in Goa. He said that ideals of “access to justice” and “speedy justice” "form the bedrock of rule of law and that for access to justice, there needs to be sufficient infrastructure to cater to the ever-rising number of disputes. .However, he opined that after independence, the judiciary in general, has not progressed at an equal pace in comparison with other branches of the State. "The judiciary is usually considered rigid in its ways of working due to the procedural requirements. While science and technology have affected all walks of life, integrating the same into the judicial system has been an uphill task," the judge said. .In this regard, high pointed out how courts operate from dilapidated old structures and rented premises, without proper record rooms or even staff. "There are premises without washrooms, waiting rooms, creche services, or disabled friendly infrastructure for litigants and lawyers. Situations like this have an adverse impact on the qualitative dispensation of justice," he said. Therefore, it is important to concentrate our efforts on modernization of judiciary, he emphasised.However, such endeavors must be undertaken after a careful stakeholder analysis and must portray the needs of changing times, he added. .Justice Ramana stated that most of the senior judges of the institution are caught up in administrative decision making, in addition to their existing judicial work.."They are bound to spend hours understanding the existing issues and finding solutions using existing technology. The pandemic has placed an immense challenge before us. With the help of the Government, the Chief Justice of India, took immediate steps to meet the existing gaps by introducing virtual hearings through video conferencing," said Justice Ramana..Besides Justice Ramana, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, Supreme Court judge, Justice BR Gavai, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta, Bombay High Court judge, Justice SS Shinde, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant were present for the function.