"Whether there's a lockdown or not, whether there's a second wave or not," he observed, "there are people waiting in line for justice."
On Sunday, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, said that in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, judges and lawyers must be like soldiers on the frontline, constantly adapting and improvising their tactics.
“I feel there is a war-like situation on at the moment. Members of the judiciary must act like soldiers and adapt their strategies to combat Covid-19. I have told this to judicial officers and staff. Members of the Bar should also fight like they would on the battlefield. We have succeeded in the first wave, and we will be successful in the second wave too,” he said.
Chief Justice (CJ) Oka compared the COVID-19 pandemic to a war situation and urged judicial officers and members of the Bar to continue their relentless battle against the virus. The CJ was speaking at a webinar hosted by the Advocates' Association of Bangalore on the subject of "Challenges before the Legal Fraternity in Covid Times" (AAB).
The CJ also stated that holding courts open as little as possible would not be a viable option for combating the pandemic because it would result in people being denied justice.
"If we confine the working of the Courts to a minimum, we will be denying justice. Our role (Judges, Judicial officers and members of the Bar) is as important as Doctors, nurses and other frontline workers. The reason is that it is our primary duty to impart justice. Whether there is lockdown or not, whether there is second wave or not, there are waiting people waiting in queue for justice. There are people languishing in jails, whose personal liberty is important. There is the working class of labourers, who have either lost their jobs or their income has been substantially reduced," he reminded.