‘SC Heavy CJI-Tentric’: Justice as justice says that the ‘image of the apex court should change’. Bharat News

New Delhi: In a clear and reflective farewell address, Justice Abhay S Oka on Friday described the Supreme Court of India as the “Chief Justice-Centenary Court”, which calls for a more democratic administrative administrative approach in light of a diverse composition of 34 judges from across the country.Speaking at a farewell program organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Justice Oka stressed the need to move away from a centralized model of work, stated the news agency PTI. “High courts are more democratically operated as the major administrative decisions are made by a committee of five senior most judges,” he said. “Conversely, I have found the Supreme Court a huge Chief Justice-centric.That image has to be changed, “he said.Justice Oka also expressed concern about the neglect of the test and the neglect of the judicial system of district courts, which he called the “backbone of the judiciary”. Highlighting the serious backlog of cases, he said that some cases have been unresolved for more than three decades.Turning to the Supreme Court’s case listing process, Justice Oka advocated more dependence on technology to remove disabilities. “People question why some cases are listed the next day, while others remain pending for weeks. As long as we do not reduce manual intervention and adopt AI-operated systems, we cannot ensure proper and rational listing,” he said.He also announced that he would not engage with the media immediately after his retirement. He said, “I need a cooling-off period of two to three months. Right now, my brain is full of emotions, and I do not want to say anything that I could regret later,” he explained.In a written message to Bar, Justice Oka urged introspection instead of celebration on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court. Accepting the contribution of the court, he said, “In my personal view, the Supreme Court has not fully fulfilled the expectations of the citizens of India.”He also drew attention to heavy backlogs in the apex court. He said, “There are more than 80,000 pending cases. Despite being a 34 judge, we are unable to control the arrears. To reduce this burden, the bar and the bench require joint efforts,” he said.