SC: Ensure there are no hurdles to access justice

Giving audience to those affected by the protracted ethnic strife in Manipur is a "part of the healing process", the Supreme Court said on Monday as it directed the state government to ascertain that all district court complexes have video-conferencing facility available within a week so that lawyers and litigants of all communities could have unhindered access to justice.

-  Utkarsh Anand

"Our conscience has to be satisfied that members of the bar or litigants are not being denied access to courts on religion or community lines... We have to ensure that the platform of this court is not misused. Equally, our conscience has to be satisfied that there are no barriers to access to justice," observed a bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud.

The bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, cautioned members of the bar to ensure that no lawyer is restrained from appearing in court, adding any such endeavour would be construed as contempt of the Supreme Court's order.