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.
“We are also sensitising the judiciary at every level on how to encourage younger members,” it observed.
The apex court further said that judges at all levels must exhibit patience, compassion and a spirit of encouragement towards young advocates.
“Members of the judiciary at all levels must exhibit patience, compassion, and a spirit of encouragement towards all, especially young members of the Bar,” it said.
“While it is certainly a solemn duty of senior members of the Bar to inculcate discipline, professional ethics and continuous learning, the responsibility does not lie with the Bar alone, but with the Bench as well, to nurture a sense of duty, integrity, so that every lawyer sees themselves as an officer of the court first,” it added.
The Supreme Court observed that the judiciary must remain mindful that the “strength and calibre of the Bench at all levels” depends upon the continuous nurturing and development of the Bar.
“Young law graduates must be encouraged to join the Bar, especially in trial courts,” the apex court said.
It also cautioned the media against circulating decontextualised courtroom video clips, observing that such dissemination could cause unwarranted prejudice and hamper the administration of justice.
“We make an unequivocal observation that the media has a vital role in this regard. Dissemination of decontextualised videos can cause unwarranted prejudice. We therefore expect that the media will play a proactive role with a heightened sense of responsibility,” the CJI-led Bench observed.
At the same time, the apex court acknowledged the role played by legal journalists in responsibly reporting court proceedings and said they were rendering “great public service”.
During the hearing, the bench disclosed that a report had been sought from the Andhra Pradesh High Court after the incident came to the notice of the apex court.
According to the report placed before the top court, the viral video clip circulating on social media lacked context, and the issue had subsequently been resolved to the satisfaction of the High Court Bar Association.
The report also stated that a five-judge committee had been constituted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court to maintain cordial relations between the Bar and the Bench.
Last week, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of a representation and resolution passed by the SCBA concerning the incident involving a young lawyer before the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
The matter was registered as a writ petition titled “Supreme Court Bar Association vs High Court of Andhra Pradesh” after the SCBA expressed “deep concern and shock” over the reported detention direction issued against the young advocate during court proceedings.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) had also written to the CJI seeking intervention in the matter, while the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates’ Association later stated that the issue had been resolved through mediation and timely intervention without further escalation.
(IANS)
