By Sunil Bhat: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud laid the foundation stone of the new complex of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in Raika on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brig B.D. Mishra (Retd.) and judges of the Supreme Court and High Court were present on the occasion.

“Judicial officers are front line warriors. They must live up to the expectations of the common man who is seeking justice,” the CJI said.

“As soon as I took over as the Chief Justice of India, I ordered the Supreme Court Ministry to improve the case listing through technology. From July, all our new cases will be given for hearing through automatic listing,” he said.

The CJI also called for more women’s participation in the field of law and justice and added that the situation is improving since the start of online video conferencing in the Supreme Court.

“The participation of women in the field of law and justice is less, similar is the case in J&K. Since the establishment of the High Court in the Union Territory, it has been very rare that a woman has become an HC judge or Chief Justice. Since the start of online video conferencing in SC, I’ve noticed the participation of many women lawyers,” the CJI said.

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“I believe that with the help of technical facilities, we can get rid of the social issues in the Judiciary”, CJI Chandrachud added.

The newly inaugurated complex equipped with modern facilities is estimated to cost over 800 crore rupees and will be completed in the shortest possible time.

An official release stated, “The new High Court complex will have 35 courtrooms and space for expansion up to 70 courtrooms. It will also have chambers for 1000 lawyers with space for expansion in the future.”

“The new high court complex will be an integrated complex with state-of-the-art physical infrastructure and modern amenities,” Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said.

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