Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, who was recently appointed as the 49th Chief Justice of India CJI in a conversation with India Today, said that criticism is a healthy sign in any democracy but should be within bounds.
Justice Lalit will replace NV Ramana as 49th CJI and assume charge on August 27. He will have a 74 day tenure as the head of India's judiciary and will demit office on November 8. Justice Lalit will be the second CJI to be elevated from the Bar to the apex court bench.
Justice Lalit stated in the interview that the public has the right to see if their judgments are up to the expectations of society or not.
He said that debates must be encouraged and if people feel a judge has gone wrong in taking a viewpoint. He added that there is a limit to transparency, everything regarding appointments can't be placed in public.
While talking about India's collegium system, CJI designate said: These are not tussles, checks and balances that are in place. He stated that the Supreme Court 5 judge bench has decided that the collegium system is here to stay.
Judges in India are appointed and appointed by the judges in a system that is called the collegium system.
Justice Lalit said that the justice process should be quick, swift and expeditious. He added that the hallmark of any judicial system is that there should be clarity and consistency. Inconsistent views upset the entire judiciary, he said.
He said that the live streaming of the cases is being looked after by Justice Chandrachud and we'll see how soon we can start it.
Justice Lalit has been involved in several landmark judgements including the one that held the practice of divorce through instant triple talaq among Muslims illegal and unconstitutional.
UU Lalit, a renowned senior advocate, was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court on August 13, 2014. He practiced in Delhi in January 1986 and was appointed by the apex court as a senior advocate in April 2004.
He was appointed a special prosecutor for the CBI to conduct a trial in the 2 G spectrum allocation case. He was involved in the delivery of several landmark judgements of the apex court.