Retired Judge of Gauhati High Court Justice Zelre Angami said the judiciary is above the administrative executive under the Constitution of India and any attempt to place it on par with the administrative executive should be discouraged.
Justice Angami reminded the judicial officers of Nagaland that they exercise their powers independently and must do so with impartiality.
He emphasized the importance of the judicial officers to perform their duties with integrity and to promote the cause of justice.
He was speaking at the 16th general conference of the Nagaland Judicial Officers’ Association (NJOA) at the conference hall of the Kohima bench of Gauhati High Court on Saturday, the association said in a release on Monday.
Speaking on the importance of judiciary and its functions, Justice Angami referred to the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court on All India Judges Association versus Union of India.
He quoted the judgment,“The judicial service is not service in the sense of employment. The judges are not employees. As members of the judiciary, they exercise the sovereign judicial power of the State. They are holders of public office in the same way as the members of the council of ministers and the members of the legislature.”
The second session of the programme followed with presentation of reports from the executive members of the association and discussion hour. The programme was chaired by Victo Sema, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Tuensang.
Zunheboto District and Sessions Judge Neichochuyi Suyie also spoke on the occasion while the presidential address was delivered by NJOA president Neiko Kanuo.