'Culture of seeking adjournments delaying cases'

New Delhi, Sep 1 President Ram Nath Kovind, on Saturday said that the Indian legal system is set apart by long delays, while including that one of the reason causing delays in adjudication is the "culture of seeking adjournments as a norm".

Noting that the legal is trying genuine efforts to control this practice, the President expressed confidence that the whole legitimate crew will resolve not to look for dismissals aside from in absolutely unavoidable circumstances.

"There is a backlog of 3.3 crore cases in different courts. Of these, 2.84 crore cases are in subordinate courts, 43 lakh in the High Courts and around 58,000 in the Supreme Court," the President noted while inaugurating the National Conference organised by Supreme Court advocates.

The President stated, "India's judiciary is respected over the world as an upholder of justice for the exposed. It is also true that our judges are overburdened by the sheer volume of cases. As a consequence, the Indian legal system is marked by long delays."

The President also stated that there are many reasons behind such postponements. There are framework holes and impressive opening, especially in subordinate courts. "There is a culture of seeking adjournments as a standard instead of a special case. New reasoning is gradually taking place on frequent adjournments," he said.

The President also said that demands from our advocates and legal professionals have changed dramatically in recent decades. As the Indian economy has opened up, business and trade law and technology law have come to acquire a new salience and specialisation. The study of these has added radiance to our legal education.

He further included that the conventional law resources in state funded colleges give the foundation of the lawful society in India. Their revival, including access to more prominent subsidizing from private and imaginative sources, should be a common endeavour.

"When it comes to private law schools of a specific stature, the Bar Council of India could consider giving more noteworthy self-governance - maybe remembering them in the way of "organizations of prominence," the President included.

Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, who was also present, said that time has come that young lawyers without much tenure or practice are competently addressing the court.