Judge gets transparent

Justice S.M. Subramaniam of the Madras High Court has taken the issue of transparency quite literally.

After efforts to get a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in his chamber failed, he has affixed see-through glass on doors to his office.

On 14th Feb this year, he had himself passed a judicial order directing the Registrar (Administration) of the High Court to install a CCTV camera inside his chambers in two weeks after making a “strong recommendation” to install similar cameras inside the chambers of all bureaucrats.

This directive came on the back of complaint sexual harassment lodged by a woman Superintendent of Police against her superior in the rank of an Inspector General of Police.  He said that CCTVs inside the chambers of bureaucrats would help safeguard the interest of women employees.

He wanted to begin by practicing the same first but sadly, seven months has gone by and still the CCTVs are nowhere in sight. Why the delay? The Registry told the judge that his verdict on the writ petitions had been taken on appeal to a Division Bench

Guess the Judge himself got a taste of how justice works though his efforts at transparency are laudable!