People don't understand judges' life': Rijiju on unpalatable remarks against judges

New Delhi, Nov 9:  Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday expressed concern over "unpalatable" remarks being made against judges on social media and other forums and added many people do not understand the hard work put in by judges.

He also emphasised that it is not easy for an ordinary person to get justice, as he may have to sell off his property for the purpose, but he may never get a date in court.

In his address at the Legal Services Day celebration, organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at the Sharda University, Noida, Rijiju said: "We know what judges do, but many people don't understand the life of a judge. There are some unpalatable remarks being made on social media... when you see closely how much judges have to perform, and how much hard work they do, it's difficult for people like us to comprehend."

He added that judges cannot be open because they have their own limitations.

The Minister said that a simple person from a village may get scared to go to court. "They don't know how high court looks like. You tell an ordinary person to go to the high court and Supreme Court... they have no idea how the Supreme Court and high court function," he added.

Rijiju cited that more than four crore cases are pending in the lower courts, therefore the government is taking a lot of steps to ensure proper infrastructure for the subordinate judiciary.

"So many people do not get justice... It is not the fault of anyone but it is because of the circumstances. It's because of the situation... it's not easy, an ordinary person to get justice may sell off his property, but he never gets the date. It is so difficult."

"This is where we feel that the distance, the gap between justice and common man must be breached. This must be brought to no distance..".

Rijiju said he believes that government, legislature, and judiciary are different organs of the same system.

"We are not fighting here for domain control or anything else but we are part of the same team to make this country a robust democratic nation. Judiciary is so important... (we are) committed to ensure the independence of the judiciary. The strength of the judiciary is very critical for the survival of democracy," he added.