Judges must be deliver justice not counsel or give tips: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Hyderabad: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that judges of all levels must be cautious while deciding cases and avoid making needless utterances.
Pointing out at the recent remarks by the Calcutta High Court advising female adolescents to “control sexual urges and not give into two minutes of pleasure” and utterances by the Rajasthan High Court, Justice Bhuyan said that it was not the business of judges or courts to give tips or counsel people.
Justice Bhuyan made it imperative that judges decide cases in accordance with law and not what stem from their thought-process.
“Every person in society is brought up in various dimensions like caste, religion, rural or urban, financial status. This will influence the person’s thought process, including prejudices. But judges should be conscious while dealing with a case and making comments while sitting on the bench,” he said. “They should remember that they will have no chance to explain or clarify later.”
Justice Bhuyan was on Saturday speaking on constitutional morality that needed to be maintained by judges and judicial officers, at a two-day South India region conference for judges at the MCR HRD Institute in Jubilee Hills.
The event is being organised by the National Judicial Academy, in collaboration with the High Court and Telangana State Judicial Academy.
Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, a judge in the apex court, advised the participant judges to be attentive as nowadays the media, some private agencies and law journals were assessing the performance of judges right from the taluk level.
Justice Oka expressed dismay at the manner comments were being posted on social media. He pointed out that even earlier there would be criticism of the judicial system or judgments but never against judges.
He said that it was unfortunate that social media was attributing everything to judges. Further, Justice Oka advised the gathering to remember that judges will be answerable to the common man.
Telangana High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe said that the Indian Constitution is not only a legal document but also a charter of values and principles, promoting equality and peace in the country.
