INAUGURATION OF Sub Court, Kancheepuram 19 th December, 2018

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1 INAUGURATION OF Sub Court, Kancheepuram 19 th December, 2018 Mr. C.Ve. Shanmugam, Hon ble Minister for Law, Courts & Prisons, Government of Tamil Nadu, YELLORUKKUM MAALAI VANAKKAM! I feel happy and privileged to inaugurate the new Combined Court Building & Judicial Officeres Quarters at Krishnagiri, Family Court & Additional Mahila Court (Magisterial Level) at Krishnagiri, Additional Sub Court at Hosur and Additional District Munsif Court at Denkanikottai. This is my first official visit to Kancheepuram District. The earliest inscriptions from the Maurya period denote the city as Kanchipuram. Inscriptions from the Pallava and Chalukya Dynasties refer to the town as Kanchipura. The city is believed to have been part of the Dravida Kingdom of the Mahabharatha and was described as "the best among cities". Historically, Kanchipuram was a centre of education. The town was also a religious centre of advanced education for Jainism and Buddhism between the 1 st and 5 th Centuries. Under the Pallavas, Kanchipuram 1

2 flourished as a centre of Hindu and Buddhist learning. With the gradual resurrection of Hinduism during the reign of King Mahendra Varman-I, the traditional educational system gained prominence and Sanskrit emerged as the official language. The legendary Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang, who visited Kanchipuram in 640 A.D., recorded that its people were renowned for their bravery, piety, love of justice, and veneration for learning. In Vaishnavist Hindu theology, Kanchipuram is one of the seven Tirthas (pilgrimage) sites. In fact, it is popularly called the Land of Thousand Temples. Apart from its spiritual significance, Kanchipuram is also a major commercial hub for the patented Kanchipuram Silk. This is a traditional place for silk weaving and home of the world famous Kanchipuram Silk Saris, which are a must in auspicious functions here in the South. Today, I am told this industry in sari weaving is worth about 100 Crores. In 2005, "Kanchipuram Silk Saree" received the Geographical Indication tag, the first product in India to carry this label. Coming to the judicial set up of the district, the following courts are currently functioning in Kancheepuram Town :- District & Sessions Court No.II 2

3 Additional District Court (Fast Track Court), Sub-Court, Labour Court Principal & Additional District Munsif Courts and Judicial Magistrate Courts, including Mobile Court Elsewhere in the District, there are courts of various cadres in Chengalpattu, Maduranthagam, Tambaram, Alandur etc. Based on the request of the Advocate and Bar Association, Kancheepuram and upon considering the statistics relating to the pendency of cases, the High Court felt that there was a need to constitute an Additional Sub Court at Kancheepuram and accordingly sent proposals to the Government in this behalf. Necessary orders were issued constituting the said court, followed by the Notification under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Civil Courts Act establishing the Additional Sub Court. The High Court has also issued orders posting the Presiding Officer in the cadre of Senior Civil Judge to head the new court. With the setting up of the new Court, more than 4,000 cases of all kinds, including Original Suits, Appeal Suits, Sessions Cases, MCOPs, LAOPs, Execution Petitions, Interlocutory Applications, C.M.As, R.C.As and Transfer O.Ps., would be transferred from the file of the Sub Court, Kancheepuram to the newly constituted court and tried over here. 3

4 Traditionally, the Subordinate Courts in the State of Tamil Nadu have followed the rich traditions laid down by the Madras High Court, which is one of the three Chartered High Courts in India, and they have done their part in the noble cause of administering justice. It is often seen that courts in the lower hierarchy have many highly competent lawyers, some of whom rise from this level and go on to achieve greater heights, while some choose to stick to their nativity and excel in their given domain. It needs no emphasis that in a democratic setup, the judicial system exists for the service of citizens and regard for the public welfare is the highest law. Legal profession, with which all of us are associated, is a noble and service oriented one. Society has a legitimate expectation from us to provide access to justice, that too, in a speedy manner. Access to justice means unhindered, expeditious justice to every individual. Legal profession is, therefore, under an obligation to deliver speedy justice to litigants. It, therefore, becomes the bounden duty of the Bench as well as the Bar, not only to strengthen the justice administration system, but also improve the quality of service which we offer to the litigants. The High Court is taking earnest steps in addressing the problem of pendency of 4

5 cases by adopting various measures, one of which is to increase the number of courts and posting adequate number of judicial officers to man these courts. By creating new courts, some burden would be taken away from the Sub-court, Kancheepuram, which had been hitherto dealing with a large number of cases. As a result, the Sub-court would now be in a position to devote more time and attention to the cases on its roster. It is a proud achievement for all of us that most of the courts in the State of Tamil Nadu now have their own buildings, which is a far cry from the past when many of the subordinate courts were functioning from private rented buildings. I can assure you that the High Court, in co-ordination with the State Government, will make all possible efforts to create necessary infrastructure for the subordinate judiciary. However, I am afraid, our role ends here. Once the facilities are in place, it is for the stakeholders concerned, viz. the subordinate judiciary and the respective Bar Associations, to take care of the interests of the most important constituent of the entire system, for which all this infrastructure is being provided, and that is the litigant public. It is only when the litigant s interests are 5

6 served can we be said to have achieved the constitutional obligation of administering justice to all. Even in these days of enlightenment, there are sections of the society who are unaware of their rights and who are deprived of their legal entitlements. Although it is the duty of the State to create awareness and ensure that its citizens are not deprived of their legal rights, the Bench and the Bar have to create awareness of legal education among the masses and ensure that the grievances of underprivileged and needy are effectively addressed and justice is meted out to them. I think you would agree with me that all these measures would prove futile and nugatory if there is no active support from the members of the Bar. That is why I constantly emphasize the role of the Bar as of immense importance. Bar Associations, especially at the mofussil level, should maintain high standards set by illustrious predecessors, by which they can render adequate assistance to the litigants who come knocking at the doors of the Court. It is the duty of the Bench and the Bar to work in harmony so as to uphold the majesty of our Constitution and facilitate easy, uncomplicated access to justice for the litigant public. A word for the judicial officers. The judges of the subordinate judiciary, which can be termed as the root of our judicial system, must be 6

7 able to inspire confidence in themselves and do justice to the society. It is rightly said that judicial officers discharge divine functions, though they are not divine themselves. Every judicial officer of the subordinate judiciary has to lead a disciplined life. The judges of all cadres should strictly observe punctuality in court. Integrity is an essential quality of a judicial officer. A judicial officer must follow the standards of integrity, morality and behavior. The members of the judiciary should pronounce judgments within a short time. Judges must decide cases without fear or favour, affection or ill will. They must be courteous to the litigants, witnesses and members of the Bar, and discharge their judicial functions with all humility at their command. A word of advice for young lawyers. With each passing year, more advocates join the rolls, and the increasing competition makes it tough, especially for budding young members of the bar. However, competition should bring the best out of you. Junior members would do well to equip and keep themselves updated in order to stay ahead. You have to be willing to put in a lot of hard work. The key to success is hard work and more hard work. In legal profession, one cannot succeed without hard work. In this profession, your learning process does not end when you get a law degree. But till the time you are in the profession, the learning 7

8 process will not end. New Acts are always being enacted, old Acts undergo changes/amendments, case law keeps changing. A person in the legal profession has to keep abreast of all the changes. Of course, it is not possible to know all the Acts and the case laws on all the Acts, but at least in the field in which you choose to specialize, you should make it a point to know the relevant Act or Acts, changes which take place therein and changes in the case laws which take place from time to time. No doubt, at this stage, it sounds like a lot of work, but remember the key to great success is hard work and hard work only. In this profession, there is no other key to success. Remember, nothing succeeds more than success, and success comes from hard work. I would urge the future generation of lawyers to take a cue from your illustrious predecessors, refine your skills, have no fear of results that might come your way and stand up for the right cause. All of us, the Judges and Lawyers, must keep in mind the following words of U.S. President J.F. Kennedy Ask not what the system can do for you, Ask what you can do for the system. Let us always bear these words in mind. 8

9 I congratulate the Judicial Officers and the Members of the various Bar Associations of Kancheepuram for getting one more sub-court. I am sure with better infrastructure in place, the job of fulfilling the noble cause of dispensing justice would become easier. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be present here on this occasion and share a few words with you. NANDRI VANAKKAM. 9