Poor suffer due to culture of adjournment: Murmu

Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said if justice is not delivered on time, then it is equivalent to not getting justice. Addressing a gathering, after inaugurating a judicial court complex here, Murmu said the poor suffer the most due to the culture of adjournment. “They (poor) have neither the money nor the manpower to come to the court frequently,” she said.

The President expressed confidence that all stakeholders will give priority to find a way to avoid the culture of adjournment in the interest of the common people. Murmu said language is also a barrier for common people. They do not understand what the lawyer is arguing for them or what opinion the judge is giving.

The President said she was happy that court judgments are now being translated into Odia and Santhali languages and these translated judgments are available on the websites of the Supreme Court and the Orissa High Court.

The President said that today, women-led development is being emphasised. She stated that like in other fields, women’s participation should increase in the judiciary also. She noted that currently, Odisha Judicial Service has 48 per cent female officers. She expressed confidence that the number of female officers will increase in the coming days. The President said how ordinary citizens interact with the judicial system without fear is an important issue. Often people get nervous before lawyers and judges. It is necessary to have a sensitive environment in courts so that they can express themselves freely.

The President inaugurated the court complex in the presence of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Orissa High Court Chief Justice Chakradhar Saran.

She said the new court complex is designed to meet current and future needs. New technologies are being used to accelerate the process of justice. Murmu said modern amenities in the court complex will help in the smooth functioning of the judicial fraternity.

The new judicial complex is built in Bhubaneswar at a cost of Rs 170 crore. There are 55 courtrooms in the complex with 55 judge chambers.