Saturday, 21 OCTOBER 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
The number of pending cases is rising in Uttarakhand so an attempt should be made to ensure swift disposal of the cases. The Uttarakhand High Court chief justice Vipin Sanghi said this after while being given a farewell with full court reference on Friday. He is slated to retire on October 26 but the farewell was accorded early as the High Court will observe Dussehra holidays from October 23 to 27. Speaking on the occasion, the chief justice said that he had assumed charge on June 28, 2022 and had served in the Uttarakhand High Court for about 16 months in addition to serving as a judge for a total of 17 years. Stating that the number of pending cases in Uttarakhand is rising, he said that attempts should be made to ensure swift disposal of the cases. He said that it is the responsibility of the judiciary and legal professionals to protect the rule of law. He said that he was satisfied at having discharged this responsibility. The protection of Uttarakhand’s natural resources, environmental conservation, maintaining the sanctity of the Char Dham and Devbhoomi and maintaining transparency in developmental schemes while behaving responsibly is the responsibility of every citizen so that the rule of law can be maintained, he said.
Speaking about the chief justice, HC justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari had been a capable advocate, judge, able administrator and an intellectual. Mentioning the important decisions taken by the chief justice, he said that these include ordering a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into encroachment in Corbett national park in a PIL, prohibition of single-use plastic and proper disposal of plastic waste in Uttarakhand, strict prohibition on ragging and holding the head of the institution responsible in case of ragging in a higher education institution, directing appointment of a Lokayukta in Uttarakhand and ordering removal of encroachments from public land, among others.
