By IANS
Srinagar : Seven thousand rural courts would be set up soon across the country to make justice available to the poor and the needy, India's Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said here Monday.
Inaugurating the legal awareness campaign 2007-2008 here, Justice Balakrishnan said, "Justice must be made available to the weaker sections of society promptly and for this the appointment of rural judicial officials would go a long way."
The chief justice said 25 million cases were pending in various courts across the country at the present.
"Once the rural courts are set up and the judges appointed, country's judicial system will see drastic changes," said Justice Balakrishnan, on his first visit to the state after taking over as the Supreme Court chief justice earlier this year.
He also asked the chief ministers of all states to provide better basic infrastructure for the courts.
Justice Balakrishnan laid emphasis on better training facilities to judicial officials.
The Jammu and Kashmir governor, lieutenant general (retired) S.K. Sinha, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, and acting chief justice of the state high court, Justice Aftab Alam were present on the inauguration function held at the Sher-e-Kashmir Convention Complex in this summer capital.
Azad said it was the responsibility of the country's judicial system to provide timely and quick justice to people.