Judges say Madras HC is first among equals

CHENNAI: Making the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Madras high court a very special occasion for officers and staff of the court, the Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned a special increment to all of them. Disclosing this amid thunderous applause, Chief Justice M Y Eqbal said that the government had consented to the largesse after a suggestion to this effect was made by the court.
"I am glad to announce that when it was suggested to the state government to sanction a gift to the extent of an increment to every staff member, the Tamil Nadu government agreed in principle immediately. A letter to that effect has been handed over to me by advocate-general A Navaneethakrishnan today morning," said a beaming chief justice.
"The immediate response in sanctioning this grant shows their magnanimity and concern towards the officers and staff of the high court, and I thank the government for their immediate response," Justice Eqbal said.
Earlier, kicking off the 150th year celebrations, Justice Elipe Dharma Rao said it was only a milestone, as India had the oldest judiciary in the world and that no other judicial system had a more ancient or exalted pedigree.
In his felicitation speech later, Justice S J Mukhopadhaya, Supreme Court judge, said his about 40-month stint in the Madras high court enriched his knowledge and experience. Justice H L Gokhale, another Supreme Court judge, said the judiciary must find a solution to the issue of rural people facing problems and inequalities of income, even when people in advantageous positions are using the system for wrongful gains.
Justice A K Ganguly, Supreme Court judge, said the Madras high court had contributed immensely to the development of the constitutional law jurisprudence. Justice P Sathasivam, another Supreme Court judge, highlighting special moments of the high court, said it was the first court to declare the assets of judges, and that topped the disposal of cases too.
Evening courts introduced in 2007 have become a valuable tool to reduce pendency, he said, adding that the court was pioneer in establishing mediation and conciliation centre too.
Referring to the hugely popular holiday family courts, Justice Sathasivam said the initiative of Chief Justice Eqbal was a boon to office-goers fighting matrimonial cases. Referring to the name board of Madras high court written in Tamil as well, he said it should be called Chennai high court in Tamil. He called upon all concerned to work for a constitutional amendment in that regard.
Justice Altamas Kabir, Supreme Court judge, commended Chief Justice Eqbal for his holiday courts concept and his habit of writing booklets to guide the subordinate judiciary to expedite trials and improve disposals. Noting that the common man was angry at the judiciary due to the delays, Justice Kabir said the anger was justifiable. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism is one way to reduce pendency, he said, adding that in Madhya Pradesh one mega lok adalat witnessed disposal of 6.7 lakh cases a few months ago. Surpassing the target, a lok adalat held earlier this week had disposed of 12.5 lakh cases on a single day, he said. Likening the mounting arrears of cases to 'judicial pressure cooker', he said the ADR was the safety valve to ease the pressure.
State law minister M Paranjothi, recalling the contribution of the state government to the judiciary, said several projects including a 11.95-crore building for records and translation section had been sanctioned recently. Subordinate courts in the state have been granted 8.97 crore for infrastructure woks, he said.
On the occasion, a special commemorative stamp and postal cover, besides a special logo were released. Foundation stone for a museum and a memorial arch too were laid. Lyricist Vairamuthu had penned a theme song for the occasion. The entire function was webcast, too.