Madras HC judge calls for coordination between bar and bench to clear pending cases

Vijayawada: Madras High Court judge Justice Battu Devanand has called for coordination between the bar and the bench to help clear the backlog of pending cases in the country.

Speaking at the state-level All India Lawyers Union two-day meeting held in Guntur on Saturday, Justice Devanand said that there were nearly 5 crore cases pending in the Supreme Court, High Courts and district courts across the country. He expressed concern over the inordinate delay in the trial of cases, and said that this was denying justice to the people.

Justice Devanand said that the bar and the bench needed to work together to clear the backlog of cases. He urged lawyers to take a proactive role in helping to resolve cases, and said that they should be willing to compromise and arrive at mutually agreeable settlements. He also called for the appointment of more judges to help reduce the workload on the courts.

Justice Devanand also condemned the attack on lawyers, saying that it was an attack on the rule of law. He said that the judiciary was standing firm to provide justice to the people, and that it would not be cowed down by threats or intimidation.

The judge underlined the importance of improving the skills of lawyers, and said that the recent suggestion of the Parliament Standing Committee on norms dealing with the appointment of judges was pragmatic. He said that the judiciary needed to be more accessible to the people, and that lawyers needed to be more responsive to the needs of their clients.