President of India Graces the Celebration of Completion of 75 Years of Gauhati High Court

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced the function being organized to mark the completion of 75 years of the Gauhati High Court at Guwahati today (April 7, 2023). On the occasion, she launched a mobile app ‘Bhoroxa’ made for the safety of women and elderly people.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that the Gauhati High Court holds a unique place in India’s judicial landscape. After its inception in 1948, it had jurisdiction over seven states for more than six decades and still has jurisdiction over four states. It has established a distinct identity for itself by producing a number of legal luminaries. It has also received attention for delivering several landmark decisions. She expressed confidence that the Gauhati High Court would continue to serve the people in the same manner in the years to come.

The President said that the North-Eastern Region is possibly the best example of how various communities have lived together historically. As a result, it has rich ethnic and linguistic diversity. In such a region, institutions need to have a great deal of sensitivity and responsibility, as divergent traditions and laws govern the lives of the people of the region. The legislations applicable to different areas may vary, but the entire area is administered by a common High Court. She said that it is heartening to see that the Gauhati High Court continues to uphold the customary laws that have been in practice in some of the states under its jurisdiction. By respecting the sentiments of the indigenous people, this institution has helped enhance the ethos of peaceful coexistence in this region.

Speaking about environmental degradation, the President said that in our time, we must become sensitive to ecological justice. Environmental degradation has led to great injustice to many communities around the world. We need to be sensitive to other species as well as towards the whole ecology, because humankind as a whole has done unprecedented damage, that is, injustice to the other members of Mother Nature’s family. She said that working towards ecological justice can take many forms. She expressed confidence that the legal fraternity would also make meaningful contributions to it.

The President said that justice, by definition, has to be inclusive, and thus must be accessible to all. However, access to justice is hindered by many factors. Cost of justice is one of them. She said that we need to keep expanding the reach of free legal counselling. She noted that the language of justice is another hindrance, but there is praiseworthy progress in that direction and the higher judiciary has started making verdicts available in more and more regional languages. She said that the increasing role of technology in the administration of justice has been solving many problems that had affected the system for long. She urged lawyers and students of law to find technological solutions in the legal domain that can provide a helping hand to the poor and the needy.