Bhubaneswar: July 26: President of India, Droupadi Murmu, graced and addressed the valedictory function of 75th-year celebrations of the High Court of Orissa at Cuttack today.
At the beginning of her speech, the President paid tribute to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Kargil War. She said that many soldiers from Odisha gave their lives to Mother India. For his work, Major Padmapani Acharya was given the Maha Vir Chakra. She said that our citizens will always be inspired by the bravery of these soldiers.
The President noted that during the High Court of Orissa’s illustrious 75-year history, which is currently being celebrated, many high standards have been set. A long list of Justices from this High Court, some of whom also held the position of Chief Justice of India, including Babu Jagannath Das, Ranganath Misra, Radha Charan Patnaik, Deba Priya Mohapatra, Gopala Ballav Patnaik, Arijit Pasayat, Ananga Kumar Patnaik, and Dipak Misra, are considered to be its luminaries.
She claimed that the past and present Chief Justices, Judges, Advocates, and Staff of this High Court are responsible for this Court’s reputation through their contributions, loyalty, dedication to their jobs, and wealth of knowledge.
The President said that any institution which doesn’t change with the change of time lags behind. She noted that the High Court of Orissa has endeavored to incorporate technological advancements in the justice delivery system.
She appreciated the High Court of Orissa for streamlining and accelerating the justice delivery system through several modern, innovative, and technology-driven changes.
The President said that the legal profession in India has earned the trust and respect of the citizens. It stands strong as one of the important pillars of the world’s largest democracy. She urged legal professionals to work towards expeditious trial and quick justice. She said that it can set free those innocents who are languishing in jail on trivial charges.
The President said that there are instances of people imprisoned for periods longer than the punishment stipulated for the crimes of which they were accused. Due to this, innocent persons lose their important period of life. On the other side, victims also lose hope for not seeing the guilty facing the legal consequences. Such delays are a major concern. She urged all associated with the High Court of Orissa to work towards speedy dispensation of justice and set an example for the entire country.
The President said that our Constitution-makers have given priority to the delivery of justice to the socially and economically underprivileged sections of society. People from the deprived sections of society neither have much knowledge nor have resources to access justice. Therefore, it is a question before us ‘How would they get justice?’ There is a need for deep churning on this question.
The President said that natural calamities pose a challenge to humanity. Adaptation to nature is the need of the hour. She said that along with the Executive and Legislature, the Judiciary should also give top priority to environment and wildlife protection.
