Supreme Court Justice NV Anjaria says pained by courtroom videos of judges acting out; calls for dignity

Coming across video clips showing undignified conduct of judges in courts is painful, Supreme Court Justice NV Anjaria said on Saturday.

In this context, he cautioned judicial officers that failure to maintain personal dignity would diminish the dignity of justice itself.

“We often see clips, often doctored clips, of video, and I feel pained seeing the conduct. If you do not know how to maintain your own dignity, how will you dignify justice?” he said at a legal services event in Gujarat.

He stressed that discipline and manners on the dais are central to justice delivery.

“A judge has to be accessible on the dais, on time, with full presence of mind. Otherwise, how will justice become accessible if the judge himself is not accessible?” he said.

Justice Anjaria underlined that justice must remain dignified both in outcome and in process.

He described courtrooms as “civilised platform” for resolving disputes that often arise in “uncultured ways,” and presiding officers must display orderly conduct while dealing with lawyers, officers and litigants.

He also cautioned judges against carrying forward informal habits from earlier roles.

“Maintain the decorum of your office. Do not behave like your previous incarnation,” he said.

On the broader theme of reform, Justice Anjaria said the dispensation of justice is a “sublime representation” and “not a power presentation".

He also linked law with ethical principles and said that justice must reflect a blend of “niti” and “nyaya,” encompassing fairness, equality and non-discrimination.

“Law is my dharma and dharma is my law,” he said.

Justice Anjaria further said judges must use statutory discretion to achieve substantive justice and adopt purposive interpretation where necessary, including drawing from traditional interpretive principles.

He also emphasised the importance of language in judgments.

“Language is the vehicle of expression. An expression, unless good, does not convey good reasoning. Your judgment will not be good,” he opined.

Citing Amartya Sen, he said the goal must be to deliver “realised justice” for the common man.

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