On 27th April Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha takes over as the next Chief Justice of India. The no nonsense Justice Lodha is no stranger to Goa who while as Judge of the Bombay High Court presiding over the Goa Bench having delivered many landmark judgments. Now with a very short tenure of just five months as Chief Justice he may not be able to do much while grappling with the over 65,000 cases pending before the Supreme Court.
In times when money and muscle power is solely determining the heights our Politicians can peak, the task of the Judiciary becomes all the more pertinent, crucial and vital Judges should judge every case on merit and should never ever be swayed by the status of the parties to the case or the faces of the advocates representing the parties. A good judge has to be extremely fair and never be ever influenced by any factor other than the rule of law. Justice has to be dispensed with proper application of mind, cautiously yet promptly. Judges should be politically unbiased. That some from the Goa Judiciary are infatuated with the saffron brigade is a matter of deep concern. Over the years India has witnessed some extremely good judges and Justice Lodha tops that list. We have also seen some from the other end of the spectrum and on them less said the better. Everything possible needs to be done to strengthen the integrity of the Courts – the Temples of Truth. Courts should never end up being perceived as Casinos. Caroline Kennedy had rightly said “The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing”. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372