The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Function of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations of Calcutta High Court today (May 5, 2013) in Kolkata.
Speaking on the occasion, The President said the independence of judiciary is sacrosanct. But, the judiciary should observe self discipline and thereby maintain the balance with the Executive and Legislature. The success of the parliamentary form of the government depends on the maintenance of this balance.
The President told the judges that people’s expectations from judiciary are very high. He asked them to think of how they can meet these expectations.
The President complemented the Indian Judiciary on having developed Public Interest Litigation and said that the Judiciary has innovated in the past for better dispensation of justice. The Judiciary must similarly find solutions to challenges like pendency of cases, filling of vacancies in courts, etc.
The President expressed sadness over the fact that only ten women have become so far judges of the Calcutta High Court and asked the Judiciary to think about how more women can be encouraged to come to the forefront.
Among the Dignitaries present on the occasion were Chief Justice of India, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Union Minister for Law and Justice and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
This release issued at 1940 hrs