Chief Justice of India TS Thakur on Monday expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi not mentioning anything about the appointment of judges in his speech that ran for nearly two hours. It may be noted that Thakur had in April this year broken down when talking of the rising number of pending cases in courts due to inadequate number of judges.
Speaking after Modi had delivered his Aug.15 address at the ramparts of Red Fort, Thakur said: "I heard the popular prime minister for one and a half hours... I expected some mention about justice also, about appointment of judges." However, there was no such mention in the speech, the full text of which can be read here, while the salient points can be found here. A blow-by-blow update of what he said is also available.
Thakur also said: "I want to tell the prime minister only one thing: You remove poverty, create employment, bring schemes, etc., but also think about justice for the countrymen." He added later: "I think I have reached the peak of my career, so I don't hesitate in saying what I feel."
Previously in April this year, Justice Thakur broke down during an address over non-appointment of judges, rising pending of cases and those judges in court being already overworked, besides people languishing in jail without trial.
"...And therefore, it is not only in the name of a litigant or people languishing in jails but also in the name of development of the country, its progress that I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realise that it is not enough to criticise. You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary," he had said while fighting back tears.
The judiciary has long been demanding that its strength be increased from 21,000 from 40,000.
