President Murmu Stresses On Women Inclusive Judiciary, Remembers 'ADM Jabalpur' Case At MP HC New Building’s Foundation Stone Laying Event

Noting that there are about nine per cent women judges in the Supreme Court and about fourteen per cent women judges in the High Courts, President Murmu said that there should be proper participation of women in the Judicial system as they have a natural sense of justice.

“That is why it is said that a mother does not discriminate between her children. The process of giving justice is not based on any single mathematical formula. In the administration of justice, along with bookish knowledge, the use of practical intelligence is also required. Other dimensions like emotions, circumstances and sensitivity also play an important role in this process. Therefore, participation of women in the Judicial system would be in the interest of the Judiciary,” she said.

Further, referring to the recently passed Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Parliament providing one-third reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, President Murmu added that the empowerment of women is essential for an inclusive India.

The event, which was attended by a galaxy of dignitaries and legal luminaries, also saw the presence of Chief Justice of the High Court Ravi Malimath, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Governor Mangubhai C. Patel.

Importantly, in her address, she also remembered the High Court’s judgment in the case of Shivkant Shukla vs. ADM Jabalpur wherein the HC had ruled in favour of the protection of life and personal liberty

President Murmu said that when the perspective of self-correction by the judiciary comes to the fore, the name of Jabalpur automatically comes to mind as she noted that 42 years after the ADM Jabalpur vs Shivakant Shukla verdict, the Top Court, in the year 2017, changed its decision and the basic principles of the then decision given by the Jabalpur High Court in favour of fundamental rights were re-established by the Apex Court.

“Thus, in the history of Indian judiciary, the name of Jabalpur has become a symbol of the progressive journey of the justice system,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, the President urged every person associated with the judiciary to make efforts to provide simple, accessible and speedy justice to the general public. She highlighted challenges faced by the judiciary such as the large number of pending cases, the huge number of under-trial prisoners, need of improvement of infrastructure in courts.

She noted that about 4.5 crore cases are pending in lower courts across the country and many of these cases are pending for 20 to 30 years.

However, she was happy to note that the Madhya Pradesh High Court has launched a special campaign named ‘25 DEBT’ to dispose of cases pending for decades in the district courts under which judges of the district judiciary have been told to dispose of the 25 oldest cases in their courts on a regular basis.

The President also said that this is the country of ‘Panch-Parmeshwar’ and the concept of justice was present in our rural system from the beginning. She emphasised strengthening further the system of alternative resolution of disputes.

She expressed confidence that by using the provisions of the Mediation Act, 2023, mediation would get widespread and institutional acceptance and the burden of litigation would be reduced.

Noting that the new building of Madhya Pradesh High Court would be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the President expressed her happiness over the fact a separate Bar Room is proposed for women advocates and she said that this arrangement would be convenient not only for women advocates but also for women litigants.