Justice Oka's Call for Judicial Transformation and Introspection

Justice Abhay S Oka criticized the Supreme Court's 'Chief Justice centric' structure and emphasized the need for judicial introspection and utilizing technology to address pendency issues. He stressed that trial courts are neglected and highlighted the importance of AI-driven case listings while sharing a personal reflection on his non-dissenting career.

Justice Abhay S Oka, a retiring judge, has called for a transformation in the Supreme Court's structure, which he describes as 'Chief Justice centric.' He advocates for a more democratic approach, similar to that of high courts, and suggests reducing manual intervention in case listings with the help of technology.

Speaking at a farewell event organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Justice Oka highlighted the neglect of trial and district courts, which he describes as the judiciary's backbone. He expressed concern about the backlog of 80,000 cases pending in the top court and called for the joint efforts of the Bar and Bench to tackle this issue.

Justice Oka's farewell speech also included a personal note on his career, in which he never delivered a dissenting judgment. He announced he would need a cooling-off period before addressing the media further. He urged the judiciary to meet the expectations of the citizens, stressing the need for introspection over celebration on the court's 75th anniversary.

(With inputs from agencies.)