The present judicial system has long-term failure written into its DNA. It seems to throw up only short-sighted pygmies as Chief Justice of India — men who don’t feel sufficiently responsible and empowered to change the system. And so our Chief Justices just hold hearings and routinely plod along till they retire. Their only aspiration is to get a prestigious post-retirement government naurkri. This is a key reason for the continuous decline in our judiciary’s performance.

Chief Justices are not supposed to be pen-pushers. They are supposed to have a GRAND VISION of justice, the BIG PICTURE of the entire judicial system. Theirs is one of the most powerful jobs in the country. They are given the responsibility and independence to correct the bad practices of the past, to ensure that justice reaches the common man. The role of CJI is envisaged as not only a highly capable administrator of the entire judicial system, but also a visionary, leader and system-reformer.