New Delhi: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said that no institution in a constitutional democracy, including the collegium, is perfect and the solution lies in working within the existing system. Speaking at the Constitution Day function organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) here, he said judges are loyal soldiers who enforce the Constitution. Since 2015, 26 November is celebrated as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution in 1949 by the Constituent Assembly. Earlier, this day was celebrated as Law Day. On the issue of collegium, the CJI said, “Finally, criticism about the collegium. I thought I would reserve the best for last. No institution is perfect in a constitutional democracy. But we work within the existing framework of the Constitution.” as it has been interpreted and given to us. All the judges of the Collegium, including me, are loyal soldiers implementing the Constitution. When we talk of loopholes, our solution is to work within the existing system.”
He said that bringing good people in the judiciary and giving them higher salaries will not improve the collegium system. “The President (of the SCBA) raised a question about good people. Getting good people into the judiciary, and getting good lawyers into the judiciary is not just a function of reforming the collegium. Whose job is it not to be a judge? You judges No matter how much you pay judges, it will be a fraction of what a successful lawyer earns at the end of the day.” He also said that becoming a judge is the call of the soul. “To get good men to be judges is first and foremost to impress upon the minds of the young members of the Bar the immense potential that lies in the power of every judge to give a good society.”
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Good judgment is about being kind, good judging is about understanding people’s problems, about not being judgmental about people whose lives you may not agree with. Good justice is about understanding why a criminal becomes a criminal. When we need good people within the system, the answer lies elsewhere. The answer lies in guiding young people by giving them the potential to become judges.” Emphasizing on the need to make judicial offices attractive to young lawyers, he said that we have to ensure that young lawyers are mentored by judges. Go
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The CJI said that the Constitution was constantly evolving to meet the new social realities of the time. He said that the Judiciary and the Bar are equal stakeholders in the mission of providing justice to the common citizens.
“The confidence of our citizens in the judicial process is also determined by how efficient we are in the way we organize our work in our judicial institutions, not just in terms of the important decisions we deliver and For citizens, it ultimately matters.” whether their case is heard by the court,” Justice Chandrachud said.