The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the valedictory function of 75th year celebrations of the High Court of Orissa at Cuttack today (July 26, 2023).
The President commenced her address by paying tributes to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Kargil War. She noted that many soldiers from Odisha are among those who sacrificed their lives in the service of Mother India. Major Padmapani Acharya was honoured with Maha Vir Chakra for his contribution. She said that the bravery of these soldiers will always remain a source of inspiration for our citizens.
Speaking about the 75th year celebrations of the High Court of Orissa, the President said that the High Court of Orissa has set many high standards in its glorious journey of 75 years. The luminaries of this High Court include a long list of Justices like Babu Jagannath Das, Ranganath Misra, Radha Charan Patnaik, Deba Priya Mohapatra, Gopala Ballav Patnaik, Arijit Pasayat, Ananga Kumar Patnaik and Dipak Misra who became Judges of the Supreme Court and some of them also served as the Chief Justice of India. She stated that behind the reputation of this Court is the contribution, loyalty, dedication towards work and vast amount of knowledge of the past and present Chief Justices, Judges, advocates and staff of this High Court.
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 endeavoured to incorporate the 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 the 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 the society. People from the deprived sections of the society neither have much knowledge nor have resources to access the 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.
