Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Saturday said there is a need to both increase the number of judges in High Courts and to urgently fill up existing vacancies.

“Not only do we need to fill the existing vacancies on an urgent basis, but there is also a need to increase the number of judges,” Chief Justice Ramana said.

Better the conditions

The Chief Justice of India said the government has to do more than just mechanically allocate funds for the judiciary. It has to better the conditions of the judiciary.

Judicial infrastructure does not even meet the “basic minimum standards”, the Chief Justice said.

The top judge was speaking at the national seminar on adjudication of intellectual property rights disputes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was present along with judges of the apex court and the High Courts.

More talent

The CJI said additional and new challenges like dealing with intellectual property rights (IPR) cases can be taken by the High Courts only if more and more talent opts to join the judiciary.

“With better service conditions, we may be able to attract more and more talents into our fold,” the Chief Justice of India hoped.

Judicial infrastructure too needs an overhaul, he said.

“Unfortunately, we are not even meeting the basic minimum standards in this area. It has been my endeavour since assuming the office of Chief Justice of India to put in place an institutional mechanism to co-ordinate and oversee the improvement of judicial infrastructure... Mere allocation of funds is not enough. The challenge is to put the available resources to optimum use. I have been pursuing the government for setting up of statutory authorities, both at the Centre and at the States. I hope for a positive response soon,” the Chief Justice of India said.

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