District Judiciary Real Face of Justice: CJI Surya Kant

Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant on 19th January emphasized upon the crucial role played by district courts in the Indian Judicial System.   

Justice Kant was in New Delhi, felicitated by office bearers of 13 Bar Associations of Delhi. During his address, CJI Kant expressed that “Justice does not primarily reside only in Appellate forums. True justice resides only at grassroot level courts.” 

District Courts not Lower Courts 

Chief Justice Kant recalled the prolonged practice of district courts being misbranded, miscaptioned, and wrongly defined as lower courts. In a humble approach, he acknowledged that “We have corrected ourselves and acknowledged district judiciary is as important organ of an independent judiciary as the High Courts or the Supreme Court.” CJI Kant reminded the Constitutional importance of the District Judiciary. According to him, district courts play an equal, and at times rather more important role as compared to the appellate courts. 

District Court and Ordinary Man’s Encounter 

District courts are the place where law becomes real, immediate, as mentioned by CJI, and human approach is the key to better delivery of justice. Chief Justice Surya Kant explained an ordinary man’s encounter at district courts and its probable consequences. According to him, an ordinary citizen will have his first encounter at the district court when he goes for enforcement of rights. Giving another angle to the expression, he added that “If a litigant, a consumer of justice, is satisfactorily dealt with in this primary Health Centre, I am quite sure he will not be required to be shifted to bigger hospitals. He will definitely not be required to go to Trauma Centre.”