Sunday saw the Chief Justice of India break down in public lamenting the shortage in the number of judges and the Executives’ inability to fill the gap.
While addressing the inaugural session of Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts, Justice Thakur said, “…And therefore, it is not only in the name of a litigant or people languishing in jails but also in the name of development of the country, its progress that I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realise that it is not enough to criticise. You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary.”
At the same conference, Prime Minister Modi commented at the Supreme Court judges having a long vacation. He said he had questioned the long vacation when he attended a similar conference as Gujarat Chief Minister.
This didn’t go down well with Justice Thakur, who, according to Indian Express, later said that judges didn’t go to hill stations to enjoy the summer break, but they spent this time on writing judgments and on clearing their desks so that fresh cases could be taken up.
Justice Thakur said told media, “Do you think we go to Manali or some other hill stations to enjoy ourselves? Let me first tell you it is only three week’s break. Who will write the judgments.especially the constitution bench judgments? My brother judge (Justice J S Khehar) heard the NJAC during the break and then took a vacation to write the judgment,” said Justice Thakur.
“If he thinks we have long vacations, he is entitled to hold on to his views.it is his views. But it is only a judge, his wife and children can tell you how much judges enjoy in the vacations,” Justice Thakur said.