New Delhi Allaying fear of any interference from the legislature, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud has said he never faced any political pressure from any government in his 24 years as a judge.
Replying to a question during a session organized by the Oxford Union, he said judges in India are trained to decide disputes in a manner that allows courts to decide on the basis of established traditions based on constitutional schemes as opposed to passions of the moment. .
"Political pressure, in the sense that if you ask me in the sense of government pressure, I would tell you that in the 24 years that I have been a judge, I have never faced a sense of political pressure from the powers that be. Some of the Democratic traditions that we follow in India include that we lead lives isolated from the political arm of the government.
"If you mean 'political pressure' in the broader sense of a judge realizing the impact of a decision that may have political ramifications, obviously judges have to be familiar with the impact of their decisions on the political entity." in general when they decide constitutional issues. I think that is not political pressure," Chandrachud said.
Speaking of "social pressure," he said judges often think about the social impact of their rulings.
"Many of the cases we decide involve intense social impacts. As judges, I believe it is our duty to be aware of the impact of our decisions on the social order that we will ultimately affect," he said.
Acknowledging the problem of pendency, Chandrachud said that the ratio of judges to population in India is among the lowest in the world.
"We simply need more judges. We are working with the government to increase the strength of the judiciary at all levels," he said.
On the issue of social media, Chandrachud said that it is a reality and today in our courts we live tweet minute by minute.
"Every comment a judge says is broadcast on social media. That is something we should not stop and we cannot stop.
"Obviously, sometimes we're on the receiving end. Sometimes the criticism is fair, sometimes it's not fair. But I do think that, as judges, our shoulders are broad enough to accept the criticism that people have about the work we do." we make". he said.
Replying to a question during a session organized by the Oxford Union, he said judges in India are trained to decide disputes in a manner that allows courts to decide on the basis of established traditions based on constitutional schemes as opposed to passions of the moment. .
"Political pressure, in the sense that if you ask me in the sense of government pressure, I would tell you that in the 24 years that I have been a judge, I have never faced a sense of political pressure from the powers that be. Some of the Democratic traditions that we follow in India include that we lead lives isolated from the political arm of the government.
"If you mean 'political pressure' in the broader sense of a judge realizing the impact of a decision that may have political ramifications, obviously judges have to be familiar with the impact of their decisions on the political entity." in general when they decide constitutional issues. I think that is not political pressure," Chandrachud said.
Speaking of "social pressure," he said judges often think about the social impact of their rulings.
"Many of the cases we decide involve intense social impacts. As judges, I believe it is our duty to be aware of the impact of our decisions on the social order that we will ultimately affect," he said.
Acknowledging the problem of pendency, Chandrachud said that the ratio of judges to population in India is among the lowest in the world.
"We simply need more judges. We are working with the government to increase the strength of the judiciary at all levels," he said.
On the issue of social media, Chandrachud said that it is a reality and today in our courts we live tweet minute by minute.
"Every comment a judge says is broadcast on social media. That is something we should not stop and we cannot stop.
"Obviously, sometimes we're on the receiving end. Sometimes the criticism is fair, sometimes it's not fair. But I do think that, as judges, our shoulders are broad enough to accept the criticism that people have about the work we do." we make". he said.
