Cuttack (thestates.news)| President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday urged legal professionals to work towards expeditious trial and quick justice. The President, who graced the valedictory function of 75th year celebrations of the High Court of Orissa said there are instances of people imprisoned for periods longer than the punishment stipulated for the crimes of which they were accused.

She said due to this, innocent persons lose their important period of life and 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 said. Murmu said that it can set free those innocents who are languishing in jail on trivial charges.The President paid tribute 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 and 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, Murmu 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. The President said that any institution which doesn’t change with the change of time, lags behind.

The Orissa High Court, she said has endeavoured to incorporate the technological advancements in the justice delivery system and appreciated the High Court of Orissa for streamlining and accelerating the justice delivery system through several modern, innovative and technology-driven changes. The legal profession in India, Murmu said, has earned the trust and respect of the citizens. It stands strong as one of the important pillars of the world’s largest democracy.

The President urged all associated with the High Court of Orissa to work towards speedy dispensation of justice and set an example for the entire country. She 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 justice. Therefore, it is a question before us ‘how would they get justice?’ There is a need for deep churning on this question. Stating that the natural calamities posed a challenge to humanity, Murmu said adaptation to nature is the need of the hour. The Executive and Legislature, the Judiciary should also give top priority to environment and wildlife protection, the President said. (UNI)