Educate Clients, Spare a Thought for Those Languishing in Jails
Educate Clients, Spare a Thought for Those Languishing in Jails
The Supreme Court has said that lawyers should "educate" their clients in order to avoid unnecessary litigation, which has been choking the justice delivery system. A bench headed by Justice NV Ramana was critical of the fact that most trivial of issues are dragged till the highest court only because litigants have money to spend. "You should educate your clients. You should tell them what exactly are they fighting for. Sometimes you argue cases here but at the end of the litigation, the clients have to get neither money nor any right," Justice Ramana told senior lawyer R Basant. Basant was arguing in a property dispute case between brothers, and the latest complaint happened to be about a construction in a house under dispute. With the bench expressing its indisposition to entertain his plea, the senior advocate requested the Court to at least set a deadline for the Delhi High Court to finally decide the matter. Justice Ramana, however, pointed out that these are things easier said that done. "It is easy for this Court to say or for you to ask us to pass directions for disposal within a time frame. But you can not imagine the pressure under which high courts function. Delhi High Court happens to be one of the busiest high court in fact," said the judge. Justice Ramana further regretted that the work load was such that people have been languishing in jail waiting for disposal of their cases. "Those who have thousands and lakh to spend, they can come till this Court and pray for expeditious disposal of their civil disputes. But what about those who have been languishing in jails for years. Spare a thought for them," said the judge.