CHIEF JUSTICE D.Y. CHANDRACHUD SAYS SUPREME COURT HAS ROLE OF PEOPLE’s COURT!

__________________________________________

PANAJI, Oct. 19, 2024 (TBINN)

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud today said the role of Supreme Court as a people’s court must be preserved for the future, but it does not mean that it has to fulfil the role of an Opposition in Parliament.

Chief Justice said one is entitled to criticise the court for the inconsistency of legal doctrine or an error, but one cannot look at its role or its work from the perspective of outcomes.

The C.J.I. was addressing the first Supreme Court Advocates On Record Association (S.C.A.O.R.A.) Conference in South Goa.

“The access to justice paradigm of the Supreme Court, which has been developed over the last 75 years, is something that we should not lose track of,” D.Y. Chandrachud said.

When societies grow and evolve into prosperity and affluence, there is a perception that you should be looking at only the big-ticket items. Ours is not a court like that. Ours is a court which is a people’s court and I think the role of Supreme Court as people’s court must be preserved for the future, C.J.I. underlined.

“Now, being a people’s court is not to say that we fulfil the role of the opposition in Parliament,” the C.J.I. maintained.

“I think, particularly in today’s times, there is this great divide between everybody who thinks that the Supreme Court is a wonderful institution when you decide in their favour and it is an institution which is denigrated when you decide against them,” C.J.I. said.

“I think that is a dangerous proposition because you cannot look at the role of the Supreme Court or its work from the perspective of the outcomes. The outcome of individual cases may be in your favour or maybe against you. The judges are entitled to decide with a sense of independence on a case-by-case basis,” D.Y. Chandrachud added.

Yhe C.J.I. alsi said that one is entitled to criticise the court for the inconsistency of legal doctrine or an error.

“I am sure judges have no difficulty about it, but the problem lies when the very same people see that the court is going to a particular direction are all willing to criticise it because the outcome has gone against you,” D.Y. Chandrachud noted.

The C.J.I. said, “We as a legal profession must have a robust common sense to understand that judges are entitled and must decide on a case-by-case basis, depending on how the legal doctrine has to be applied to the facts in that particular situation.”