THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Aires Rodrigues
Economic and social development is not just about building roads and bridges. It is increasingly about the rule of law which prevails only when there are meaningful and enforceable laws that ensure transparency, fairness and accountability. There has to be basic security for the common man his personal safety and protection of property with an independent judiciary that safeguards this. The judiciary has vital roles and functions while it has varied dimensions and specific missions.
The judiciary has to uphold the Constitution, the rights and liberties that the constitution guarantees, and the policies and principles that it embodies. Being a dispute resolution forum the Judiciary’s mission is to ensure that the public has access to the highest standard of justice attainable. It has to ensure proper equitable and expeditious resolution of all cases and controversies brought before the Courts. It has to also facilitate and activate alternative forms of dispute resolution to supplement the formal court system.
The effectiveness of the judiciary and its success ultimately depends on the existence of the rule of law. This can be only achieved with sound and efficient operation of the core legal institutions and the supporting civil society institutions. These are fundamental prerequisites for an effective economic, social, and political order essential for a modern society in our increasingly interdependent world. The Judiciary lies at the heart of a society’s legal order.
The judiciary’s mission is to provide for, promote, and ensure effective, economical, and efficient use of public resources in the administration of justice. It has to promote effective and expeditious administration of justice. In our fast evolving society the judiciary’s mission is to anticipate and timely respond to society’s changing judicial needs.
The success of the judiciary also depends on the parallel development of other institutions and attitudes within the broader society that support, as well as rely upon, a strong, capable, and independent judiciary. However, the need to ensure that the judiciary itself is an effectively functioning institution is paramount.
In a democratic country like ours, the role of judiciary is significant as it administers justice according to law. It is required to promote justice in a very fair and adjudicatory manner while combating social injustice through its judgments as otherwise the poor and marginalised will continue to suffer.
The role of judiciary is crucial as it a faithful keeper of the constitutional assurances. An independent and impartial judiciary can make the legal system vibrant. The Judicial Institution must be creative while the credibility of judicial process ultimately depends on the manner of administrating justice.
Judiciary has played a crucial role in socio-economic development of our society. It has played a vital role in ensuring good governance by those holding reign of power. There can be no two views about the significant role expected of the judiciary in good governance. Our judiciary has to perform well to fortify the common man’s faith and trust in Courts which is their last resort in that quest for Justice.
