New Delhi: “Muddaton baad jo aayaa hoo is vaadi mein Ik naya husn, naya rang nazar aata hai” (I have come to this valley after ages. I can see a new beauty, new colour), Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana said at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new high court complex at Rakh-i-Gund in Srinagar’s Bemina area, last week. The CJI was quoting the poet Ali Jawad Zaidi.
Speaking at the event, CJI Ramana said, “For the functioning of a healthy democracy, it is imperative that the people feel that their rights and dignity are protected and recognised.
Expeditious adjudication of disputes is the hallmark of a healthy democracy. Denial of justice would ultimately lead to anarchy. Soon the institution of judiciary would be destabilised as people will look for extrajudicial mechanisms.”
In his speech, the CJI emphasised the importance of the development of infrastructure and how it will make courts inclusive and accessible.
“Today, I am extremely glad to be laying the foundation stone of the new high court complex, here in Srinagar. Solving the problems of infrastructure is very close to my heart. I have consistently emphasised the need for the development and modernisation of infrastructure. Sadly, post-independence, judicial infrastructure has not been over-hauled to meet the demands of the growing needs of modern India,” he said.
Ramana added: “We are far behind in making our courts inclusive and accessible. If we don’t attend to this urgently, the constitutional ideal of access to justice would stand defeated.”
The CJI also inspected the plan and layout of the new high court complex.
CJI Rama was visiting the valley with his wife, Sivamala. In his speech, he appreciated the beauty of Kashmir and the hospitality he received from the people. Quoting the words of poet Rifat Sarfarosh, he said: “Yeh khitaye kashmir hai, Jannat ki ik tasweer, Insaniyat ki dastaan, Har zarre mein tehreer” (This is Kashmir, an image of heaven, every particle of this land tells the story of humanity).
He went on to observe that “Jammu and Kashmir is the confluence of three great religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. It is this confluence which is at the heart of our plurality which needs to be sustained and cherished”.
ThePrint’s national photo editor Praveen Jain brings photos from the CJI’s recent visit to the valley.
