Silver Jubilee Ceremony of Chhattisgarh High Court
The High Court stands as the interpreter of the constitution, the protector of civil rights, and a vigilant sentinel of justice: Governor Shri Ramen Deka
The state government is committed to providing timely justice with the availability of infrastructure and resources: Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai
Obtaining the trust of the general public is the supreme objective of the judiciary: Justice Shri Maheshwari
Raipur, The Silver Jubilee Ceremony of the establishment of the Chhattisgarh High Court was organized under the chief guestship of Governor Shri Ramen Deka. The guests inaugurated the program by lighting the lamp. The judges of the High Court welcomed and felicitated the chief guest Shri Ramen Deka and Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai, Union Minister of State Shri Tokhan Sahu by presenting them with a plant and mementos. Special guests Deputy Chief Minister Shri Arun Sao and Shri Vijay Sharma, Finance Minister Shri OP Choudhary, Law Minister Shri Gajendra Yadav, former Governor Ramesh Bais were honored with mementos. On this occasion, the guests also released a souvenir focused on the silver jubilee ceremony.
Chief guest Governor Shri Deka said that it is a matter of great honor and pride for me to address all of you on this glorious occasion, the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Chhattisgarh High Court. On November 1, 2000, when the state of Chhattisgarh was established, a new beginning was made in the field of justice along with governance. With the birth of this state, the great institution, the Chhattisgarh High Court, Bilaspur, was established. Since then, this court has stood as the interpreter of the constitution, the protector of civil rights, and the guardian of justice. Governor Shri Ramen Deka appreciated the judiciary for the speedy disposal of pending cases under the Lok Adalat. He talked about providing quick justice to the general public by improving morality, strengthening and reducing the pending cases of the judiciary. He said that justice should not be available only to the capable people but also accessible to the villages, the poor and the general public, only then the role of the judiciary will become meaningful in this democratic system.
He said that we gratefully salute those visionary personalities and founders who laid the foundation of this court. The first Chief Justice, Hon’ble Justice W.A. Shishak and his successors provided dignity, credibility and a strong judicial tradition to this newly constituted court. Similarly, the dedication and hard work of the advocates, court officers and employees kept this institution strong for twenty-five years. In these years, the court gave decisions on many important topics like constitutional morality, civil liberties, tribal rights, environmental protection, good governance and social justice. It adopted a sensitive approach towards Chhattisgarh’s distinct identity – its forests, minerals, culture and deprived communities. Establishing a balance between development and rights, it ensured that progress never came at the cost of justice.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai, present as a special guest at the ceremony, said on this occasion that our state Chhattisgarh is celebrating its silver jubilee of establishment. This auspicious occasion is also the silver jubilee of our High Court. This year is also the silver jubilee year of our assembly. I extend my heartiest congratulations to all of you on all these auspicious occasions. He said that Chhattisgarh High Court has given a new identity to the city of Bilaspur. On this auspicious occasion, we pay tribute to Bharat Ratna, former Prime Minister and the maker of our state, the revered Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, whose foresight made the establishment of Chhattisgarh state and Chhattisgarh High Court possible.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that along with the availability of infrastructure and resources, we are committed to providing justice on time under any circumstances. In this sequence, we have increased the budget of the Law and Legislative Department by 25 percent last year and 29 percent this year as compared to the year 2023-24. It is a matter of pride for the entire state that judges like Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice Shri Naveen Sinha, Justice Shri Ashok Bhushan, Justice Shri Bhupeesh Gupta and Justice Shri Prashant Kumar Mishra of this bench reached the Supreme Court of the country. To promote transparency in judicial processes, the Chhattisgarh High Court has promoted digital innovations like virtual courts and live streaming. Along with this, digital record rooms, Aadhaar-based search and new modules of judicial training are also being adopted. In its glorious journey of 25 years, Chhattisgarh High Court has given such remarkable decisions which are presented as an example all over the country. After the establishment of the Chhattisgarh High Court, the trend of youth in Chhattisgarh towards the law profession has also increased. This is giving them new career opportunities. He said that our successful Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji abolished the penal code of the British era and implemented the Indian Justice Code. In the British era, the emphasis of the Indian Penal Code was on punishment. The emphasis of the Indian Justice Code is on justice. Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji is trying to include the new technical changes that have come in accordance with modern times. Forensic science-related aspects are very important in this. In order to provide quick and easy justice to the people, the recommendations made from time to time to strengthen the judiciary have been effectively implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji in the last decade.
Justice Shri J.K. Maheshwari of the Supreme Court said that Chhattisgarh is called the rice bowl and it is taken towards completeness. Where there is religion, there is victory. Our true deeds and thoughts are religion. Consciousness connects to easy religion. It is time to think and plan where we want to put the judiciary in the next 25 years. The common man comes to the door of the court with faith, work with that basic feeling. He encouraged the bench, bar and lawyer associated with the judicial system to move forward with a vision. He said that everyone should create an integrated vision so that the judiciary can reach its ultimate goal of public welfare. Justice Shri Maheshwari said that everyone should work to fulfill the spirit of the Rule of Law in the Constitution of India and move forward with the thought of delivering justice to the person standing at the last rung. He said that obtaining the trust of the general public is the supreme objective of the judiciary. Justice Shri Prashant Kumar Mishra, who was a witness to the establishment of the High Court, congratulated and wished the Chhattisgarh High Court on the occasion of its silver jubilee program and shared his memories associated with the court.
Addressing the silver jubilee program, Union Minister of State Shri Tokhan Sahu said that today is not only the celebration of 25 years of the judiciary’s journey but also a tribute to the strong tradition of the judiciary which has continuously contributed to the protection of the Constitution and democracy. In the last 25 years, the Chhattisgarh High Court has done unprecedented work in making justice accessible to the common people, ensuring transparency and adopting technology like a revolution.
Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Shri Ramesh Sinha gave the welcome address. He congratulated and wished all the guests and those present on the silver jubilee of the establishment of the court. He said that the silver jubilee program of Chhattisgarh High Court is definitely a glorious moment for all of us. In the last 25 years, the court has done better work in establishing the rule of law. He informed the assembly about the achievements and positive changes in the work since the establishment of the court.
At the end of the ceremony, Justice Shri Sanjay K. Agrawal expressed his gratitude. On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Arun Sao, Shri Vijay Sharma, Finance Minister Shri OP Choudhary, Law and Legislative Minister Shri Gajendra Yadav, Chief Justice of Madras High Court Shri M.M. Srivastava, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court P. Sam Koshi, former judge of Chhattisgarh High Court Shri Yatindra Singh, former Governor Shri Ramesh Bais, Chief Secretary Shri Amitabh Jain, DGP Shri Arudev Gautam, Advocate General Shri Prafulla Bharat, MLA Shri Dharamlal Kaushik, Shri Amar Agarwal, Chhattisgarh High Court Bar Association President Shri Chandel and other judges, advocates, public representatives and officers associated with judicial service were present.
