Former Chief Justice Calls for Judicial Reforms in Infrastructure and Recruitment

Former Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, urges significant investment in infrastructure and innovative recruitment methods to address the vacancies and caseload in India's judiciary. Highlighting challenges faced by district courts, he emphasizes the need for an all-India judicial service examination and protection of lower court judges from undue scrutiny.

Advocating for increased government investment in judicial infrastructure, Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has voiced concern over the significant vacancy rate in district judiciaries. In an ANI interview, Chandrachud stressed that India's judge-to-population ratio is alarmingly low, calling for more judge appointments to manage the overwhelming caseload.

Chandrachud highlighted that 21% of district court positions remain unfilled, with 27% of staffing vacancies unaddressed. He proposed an 'All India Judicial Service Examination' to regularly recruit qualified candidates, emphasizing the need for a constitutional amendment, as current recruitment is governed by state regulations.

Discussing the Supreme Court's role in aiding the underprivileged, Chandrachud noted its focus on bail applications, dispelling the notion of religious bias in bail grants. He expressed concern about district courts' hesitance to approve bail due to societal mistrust, advocating for the protection of lower-tier judges from undue allegations, and urging higher courts to safeguard their decisions.

(With inputs from agencies.)