New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Monday urged High Courts across the country to constitute grievance redressal committees (GRCs) at their as well as district and taluka levels to address issues arising between members of the bar and the judiciary and ensure their amicable resolution in a timely manner.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that such institutional mechanisms, involving members of Bar Councils and Bar Associations, would help foster cordial relations between lawyers and judges and prevent unnecessary escalation of disputes.
We deem it apt to impress upon High Courts to constitute GRCs, which must associate members of Bar Councils/Associations. Such committees be constituted at the district/taluka level also, the apex court observed.
The CJI-led Bench added that the proposed mechanism would help ensure that issues arising between the Bar and the Bench are resolved amicably and effectively at the earliest stage.
The top court made the observations while dealing with two writ petitions registered suo motu in connection with the recent Andhra Pradesh High Court incident involving Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao and a young lawyer during court proceedings.
However, the Supreme Court said that no further directions were required in the matter since the issue had already been amicably resolved at the High Court level through the intervention of the Chief Justice and the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates’ Association.
It appears that the judge sought to draw attention to a precedent which supported him. However, the counsel cited a precedent which the judge felt was not applicable. It was then that the file slipped and fell. Though there was no such intention, the judge construed it as an impropriety. The incident does not warrant any further action at our end, the bench observed, adding that the judge’s oral remarks did not culminate in any executable judicial order.
During the hearing, senior advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh suggested that an institutional mechanism was necessary to ensure that such incidents do not recur and stressed the need to encourage younger members of the legal profession.
Responding to the submissions, the CJI-led Bench remarked that efforts were underway to sensitise members of the judiciary at all levels on the importance of encouraging young lawyers.