20 lakh cases are at a stage where summons have not been served yet: CJI Gogoi

Guwahati : Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Sunday said over 1,000 cases are pending in courts across the country for 50 years, while a whopping two lakh plus cases are pending for 25 years.

Gogoi instructed Gauhati High Court Chief Justice (Acting) Arup Kumar Goswami to clear such long pending cases in Assam as soon as possible.

He said he had addressed the chief justices of various high courts on July 10, during which he requested them, inter alia, to "go after" the 50-year-old and the 25-year-old cases.

The CJI also said, out of about 90 lakh pending civil cases, more than 20 lakh are at a stage where summons have not been served yet.

Gogoi expressed concern over "belligerent and reckless behaviour" by some individuals and groups and hoped the country's institutions will overcome such "wayward" elements.

The CJI did not elaborate on his remarks and refrained from naming any individuals or groups. "It is unfortunate that the present times are witnessing belligerent and reckless behaviour by a few individuals and some groups.

"I am hopeful that such incidents turn out to be exceptions and the strong traditions and ethos of our institution shall always assist our stakeholders to display resilience to overcome the belligerence of such wayward constituents," Gogoi said.

He said that unlike offices or government establishments, courts are unique, with multiple stakeholders converging every day to facilitate and make the wheels of justice move forward, though they may not be bound by any single hierarchy of commands.

"It is therefore important, for each stakeholder functioning in a court complex, to learn and accept that the institutional traditions and practices are the greatest gifts that we inherit in our respective journeys even as we associate with the process of justice dispensation in various capacities," Gogoi said.

The CJI said that judges and judicial officers must remember that judgments and court orders have a bearing on public faith.

"Today, I feel compelled to assert that judges and judicial officers must remember that public faith and confidence, on which our institution lives and survives, is largely built on the basis of orders and judgements passed by us," Gogoi said.

The CJI also said that getting selected as a judicial functionary is an opportunity to serve the hallowed institution, whose value is always immeasurably more than what can be reasonably visualised.

"The right to adjudicate the affairs of fellow human beings and citizens has an element of divinity to it and this privilege by itself must fill us with humility and a profound sense of duty towards the people, whom we serve," he said.