Hyderabad: Supreme Court judge Justice PS Narasimha on Saturday underscored the importance of making access to justice swift and simple.
“Access to justice should be easy. It should happen the moment it is sought,” he said, addressing Telangana Judges’ Association Biennial Conference at the State Judicial Academy.
Justice Narasimha, who was the chief guest at the event, urged district-level judges to actively involve lawyers in this mission, adding that the State Judicial Academy and the high court have crucial roles to play in achieving this goal.
In a pleasant surprise, the judge appeared in traditional Telugu attire, drawing smiles from the nearly 500 participants from the judicial fraternity.
Highlighting the potential of first appeals in district courts, where both sides’ facts and statements were already documented, Justice Narasimha encouraged judges and lawyers to invite disputing parties to explore alternate dispute resolution (ADR) methods. “Resolving cases is not the responsibility of judges alone,” he said, calling for a collaborative approach.
He further emphasized that the Judicial Academy, high court, and district judiciary must take a proactive and conciliatory role in guiding litigants towards faster and more sustainable dispute resolution pathways.
“We all must strive towards an era, where we, as individual judges, recede to the background and our collective work would emerge as a vibrant judicial institution that offers quick, reliable and qualitative justice”, Justice Narasimha said. He assured the judges that such a strong institution would offer more protection to the individual judges.
“An institution is an idea, a vision that subsists over and above the life of an individual. It continues the collective work of all judges and gives space and recognition to the individuals,” he said. “It brings in plurality, commonality of thought, and offers us psychological and infrastructural support,” Justice Narasimha added, underscoring the importance of a strong institution.
Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul of Telangana high court participated as a guest of honour and called upon the member judges of the conference to interact more in the ensuing sessions. “The content of the speeches would quickly fade away, whereas the essence of the interactions will stay with us,” he said. Justice K Lakshman of the high court, Telangana judges association secretary Murali Mohan welcomed the gathering.
Justice Narasimha appreciated Swapnika, a girl who drew his painting with her amputated hands and presented it, and gave her a memento.
