Unlike his predecessor Justice R.C. Lahoti, the new Chief Justice of India, Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, doesn’t think there is lack of political will to fight terror.Interacting with newspersons a day after he assumed office, Justice Sabharwal said: ‘‘I don’t have any material on the basis of which I could say that there is no political will to fight terror.’’ He was replying to a query on the delay in disposing of cases related to terrorist violence.‘‘I cannot say if there is political will or not. But experience shows there are a large number of witnesses in such cases and that leads to their delayed disposal,’’ he said.‘‘It is accepted by and large that corruption is one of our main problems. Terrorism is also one.judiciary has to do its best. Such cases deserve to be placed on a fast track.without compromising justice,’’ Sabharwal said.He also called for ‘‘strict monitoring at the level of District Judge, High Court and if necessary Supreme Court’’ to ensure that a time limit was observed in the matter of disposal of cases related to terrorism, sexual harassment, corruption in high places and crime against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.Justice Sabharwal, who will remain CJI for 14 months, said his first priority was to ‘‘cement the faith of our one billion people in the judicial system by promoting speedy and inexpensive justice’’.On the large number of vacancies in the judiciary, he said it was of ‘‘utmost importance that all vacancies at every level should be filled expeditiously’’.The chief justice also agreed to look into the long vacations enjoyed by Supreme Court judges though he said judicial officers are working tirelessly, every day of the week, to discharge their duties.Corruption in the higher judiciary was another issue that did not skip the chief justice’s address. ‘‘So far, peer pressure has worked. We will think of tightening further,’’ he said.To allegations that PILs were coming in the way of the government doing its duty, he said: ‘‘PILs have done a great service to the nation. But one has to be very careful in handling PILs. We have to be careful that it is not publicity interest litigation or private interest litigation or for blackmailing.’’
