Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Prakash Tatia addresses the forum at a Ranchi hotel on Friday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

The criminal justice system would be reduced to mockery if its benefits did not reach the weaker sections of the society. It was, however, remarkable that the apex court, through interpretations of the law in many cases, had ensured such aspects as right to speedy trial and legal aid.

This was how Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Prakash Tatia set the tone for discussions at the three-day East Zone Regional Conference on Administration of Criminal Justice: Issues and Challenges, while delivering his inaugural address.

The conference, organised jointly by National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, Jharkhand High Court and Judicial Academy, Jharkhand, is being held at a Ranchi hotel.

It is being attended by judges and judicial officers from 13 eastern and northeastern states under the jurisdiction of high courts in Calcutta, Chhattisgarh, Guwahati, Sikkim, Patna, Odisha and Jharkhand. Besides, sitting and former judges of the Supreme Court are also taking part in some sessions.

The National Judicial Academy did not “teach or preach”, said K.N. Chandrasekharan Pillai, its director. “It has been organising regional conferences since 2007 on various themes with an aim to facilitate sharing of knowledge, views and experience amongst judges from neighbouring states on selected challenges,” he explained.

Justice Tatia hoped that the Ranchi conference would help rejuvenate the system of criminal justice and help clarify and simplify interpretations of the law for the benefit of society.

“Judiciary is still the last hope for many and judges need to use new tools to give benefit to people,” opined Justice A.K. Ganguly, chairman of Human Rights Commission, West Bengal and former Supreme Court judge.

For this, judges, too, must learn constantly and update themselves, he said, adding that the same could be done through such sensitising programmes.

Later, speaking on the constitutional origin of the criminal justice system, Justice Ganguly traced its development since the early days of British rule and explained how the system had been strengthened after the Constitution was adopted. “It has put dignity of the individual on an equal pedestal with unity and integrity of the nation,” he explained.

In the last two sessions, groups of delegates were engaged in identifying issues and challenges facing the administration of criminal justice and making presentations on them.

Five more sessions would be held on Saturday and Sunday to discuss various aspects ranging from the role of courts in enhancing access to justice and fair trials to rights of prisoners and sentencing.