The judiciary has to play a very crucial role in delivering justice to those burdened by faulty government decisions and legislations. To ensure this, it is imperative that the politicians should have no direct or indirect role whatsoever in the selection, promotion and posting of Judges.
Judges should judge every case on merit and should never ever be swayed by the status of the parties to the case or the face of the advocates representing the parties. A good judge has to be extremely fair and never allow himself to be even high jacked by the Advocate General. Judges cannot please everyone. Justice can sometimes taste unpleasant but has to be swallowed like a bitter pill. Justice is one of the few commodities that is not dished out and cannot be bargained for over the counter. Justice has to be dispensed with proper application of mind, cautiously yet speedily. Judges have their own personalities and style of functioning but as along as the intent is to deliver justice, no judge can be faulted. Like all of us, judges are bound to err. Things become yet more difficult for a judge in those cases where the chances of both parties is almost even. It is a matter of fact that many cases come in this category and it makes the Judge's task all the more cumbersome. Accepting the position of a judge is a very big challenge. One has to sacrifice one's personal liberty to a great extent. Family life takes a toll as socializing is restricted. While Politicians have bags loaded with money delivered to their home, Judges get bags loaded with files which they have to read through in the evening in preparation for the next day. Justice has to be meted out at the grass roots. So it is very essential that persons with sound knowledge of law be selected for this noble job even at the entry level at the lower Judiciary. The selections of subordinate court judges have to be very meticulous as persons who cannot interpret the law, only do damage to the justice delivery system. In times when money and muscle power is solely determining the heights our Politicians can reach, the task of the Judiciary becomes all the more pertinent, crucial and vital. We have to hope that only persons with good knowledge of law and with a good insight to interpret and dispense it would want to take responsibility as Judges. This noble task may not be monetarily satisfying but it must definitely give one the mental satisfaction of having done a noble job. Nonetheless, the government should review the pecuniary benefits of the judicial officers so that the Judiciary attracts nothing less than the best and the brightest. Over the years we have witnessed some extremely good judges preside over the temple of Justice. We have also seen some from the other end of the spectrum. On them less said the better. The government should never think it has an upper hand over the Judiciary. Judges should be ready to fearlessly take on the government for its illegal actions. Judges should be also consistent in the way they dispense justice. Courts cannot end up being Casinos. Judiciary should have been the common man’s last resort. Unfortunately in Goa it has become the first stop. Caroline Kennedy had 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
