I Was Shocked, Deliberate Attempt To Discredit Judiciary: Justice N. Nagaresh Reacts To Contemptuous Remarks By PFI Leader

While speaking at the National Seminar on Indianisation of Indian Judiciary, Justice N. Nagaresh of Kerala High Court has reacted to the contumacious remarks against the Judiciary made by a leader of the Popular Front of India on Saturday. 

On Thursday, the Kerala High Court had observed in its order that the persons who organised a Popular Front of India (PFI) rally should be implicated as accused in the cases registered against the hateful slogans raised by a child in the rally.

In relation to this, a leader of the PFI had said yesterday that the judges of the Kerala High Court are feeling the heat since they wear saffron undergarments. He had also said during the public speech that the judge of Kerala High Court who granted bail to Ex-MLA P. C. George in the hate speech case was a junior of the then BJP leader and the current Governor of Goa, P. S. Sreedharan Pillai.

"I was shocked and amazed when someone made a comment that the colour of the undergarments of judges is saffron", the Judge said. "The show goes on, everybody enjoys such remarks. We must introspect", the Judge said.

Justice Nagaresh also said that "there is a deliberate attempt to discredit the judiciary". He said that out of three pillars, people have started losing faith in legislature and executive, but, that faith in the judiciary is still intact.

"There are some organizations which say that we don't accept this Constitution. We have some other texts which we will implement after we come to power. But they fight for their rights under the Constitution", the Judge said.

He wondered whether constitutional protections should be extended to those who don't approve of the Constitution of India. Once you discredit the judiciary, you discredit the Constitution, Justice Nagaresh said.

On the Indianisation of the Judiciary, the subject of the seminar, Justice Nagaresh referred to the remarks by the Chief of India CJI Ramana that the need of the hour is the Indianisation of our judicial system. "Now the call for Indianisation has come from the horse's mouth", the Judge said.

He stressed on the need for having court proceedings in the local languages so that common litigants can understand the proceedings. He said that some judges and lawyers are opposing having court proceedings in local languages. "What about the common man? We function as if the system is for lawyers and judges", Justice Nagaresh said.

He acknowledged that there are issues like having precedents in English etc. "I am not ignoring it. But the common man feels out of place. We should not treat the common man as aliens in Court. The system should change. That is the call given by the Chief Justice of India. Common man still doesn't understand how the system functions", he added.

Justice Nagaresh was speaking at a session that was presided by Senior Advocate Govind K. Bharathan. A paper was presented by Advocate C. K. Sajinarayanan, Second National Labour Commission, on the subject 'Indianisation of Judicial System'. 

Earlier, Justice Devan Ramachandran had spoken at the event. (read report)