Hummingbird News Desk
KOLKATA, 25 AUG: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today emphasised on impartiality of the judiciary and denounced media trials while requesting both judges and the media houses against such trials.
“Our judiciary is the last frontier for getting justice and upholding constitutional rights. It is the pillar of democracy, it is the pillar of commoners, who eagerly hope for justice from the courts. Please let the judiciary remain sanctified,” said Miss Banerjee.
Miss banerjee was addressing the programme of handing over Block B of New Secretariat Building to the judicial department for extension of the office wing of the Calcutta High Court.
While talking about the judiciary, she said, “People have faith in our judiciary. The press and the judiciary are both vital for a healthy democracy. If one loses its credibility, the other will lose its credibility too. We have started 88 Fast-Track courts at the behest of the state government. A total of 55 Fast-Track courts are solely dedicated to women. Our government helped in the establishment of 7 POCSO Courts, and 19 Human Rights Courts.”
“We have also started the Siliguri Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court. Calcutta High Court is one of the oldest High Courts in our country, and with an increasing number of cases, lawyers and the judiciary, there was a paucity of space at the current premises. The lack of space at the Calcutta High Court premises was affecting the judicial work. The Chief Justice of Calcutta HC had requested additional space and had only requested that the new building be somewhere near the current premises,” she said.
“Else, it would have been difficult for lawyers to move from one place to another. It would have also led to unnecessary time loss. HIDCO has also allotted 10-acre land for an annexe building of the Calcutta High Court. This will be coming up shortly,” she further said.
Miss Banerjee’s statement comes at a time when the state government is bogged down with successive adverse judgements in many sectors, the recent being recruitment related cases.
“Please let us not resort to any media trials. Such trials are misleading and misguiding and sometimes it gives a bad name though the incidents are not the true. The judiciary first goes through the details of the evidence, the witnesses and everything else. Similarly I would request my media friends against conducting media trials. Don’t defame through the trials. Let’s rely on the truth and hard facts and evidence and not only on the hearsay reports. Let us project the real news. Even, if that news goes against me, I would not mind,” said Miss Banerjee.
She said Calcutta High Court has witnessed great cases during the Independence movement. It is the oldest and the golden High Court of our country. I thank my lawyer friends. I wish to tell them that I, too, have passed the law and am a Bar Association member. I even have an ID Card. I have also appeared in human rights cases. You never know, I might show up in court someday too.
“I only have one request from our learned justices, we need more women judges in our courts. The number of women judges is too few at the moment. I appeal to judges to clear all backlog of cases and not prolong people’s search for justice,” Miss Banerjee said.
Tags: #MamataBanerjee #MediaTrial #Judiciary #Impartiality #CalcuttaHighCourt
