CJ sets the ball rolling for Bench at Dharwad
The Times of India,Bangalore
Dharwad: The process for the establishment of a circuit Bench at Dharwad was set in motion when the foundation stone for a court building was laid on Sunday. Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Navadeep Kumar Sodhi laid the stone for a court at the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI).
Speaking on the occasion, Justice N.K. Sodhi said the aspirations of the people of North Karnataka — who had been fighting for their rights — were being fulfilled.
Without directly referring to the request made by chief minister Dharam Singh to start the functioning of the circuit Bench from November 1, the CJ said the Bench at Dharwad would start functioning soon after the building was constructed. He called upon the lawyers to keep the interest of the litigant public paramount in their mind and be prepared to get them justice quickly.
The chief minister said the government was ready to provide the necessary infrastructure for the Bench and requested the Chief Justice to issue directions for the commencement of work at the Bench from November this year. The government was committed to correct the regional imbalance and setting up of the Bench in Dharwad was one of the steps in that direction, he said.
CJ for inexpensive justice
Justice Sodhi reminded members of the legal fraternity that courts were not meant for lawyers but were for the benefit of people. Construction of buildings and establishment of the Circuit Bench was not an end in itself. The end was to provide quick justice inexpensively to the public. He called upon the Bar and Bench to work in tandem to ensure that the purpose of setting up courts was served and the common man approaching courts quickly went back satisfied.
Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, law and parliamentary affairs minister H.K. Patil and others were present.
