JAMMU: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Justice D Y Chandrachud visited the holy cave Shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi and paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum in Katra town of Reasi district.
This is the first visit of Justice Chandrachud to the holy shrine after taking over as the CJI.
On his arrival at Katra, the Chief Justice of India was received by Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, the official spokesman of the board, said.
The CJI was accompanied by the Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
The CEO briefed the dignitaries about the continuing initiatives being taken by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board under the chairmanship of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for upgrading and expanding the infrastructure for facilitating the progressively increasing number of pilgrims to the holy Shrine.
The CJI complemented the efforts being initiated by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for welfare and providing facilities to the visiting pilgrims to make their pilgrimage hassle-free.
After paying obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine, the CJI visited Bhairon Ghati to pay obeisance at the Bhairon Baba Temple.
The Chief Justice will inaugurate the two-day-long 19th All India Legal Services Authorities Meet on Friday at SKICC, Srinagar, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Law along with Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and his counterpart in Ladakh, Brigadier B D Mishra.
As many as 20 Supreme Court Judges, Chief Justices of all the High Courts of India, will participate in the meeting, which will deliberate on the progress made in the Legal Services Sector till date and chalk out future strategy.
The inaugural ceremony would be attended by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA; Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge, Supreme Court of India & Chairman, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee; Judges, Supreme Court of India; Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, UT of Jammu & Kashmir; Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Law and Justice; Brigadier B D Mishra, Lieutenant Government, UT of Ladakh; N. Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and Patron-in-Chief J&K Legal Services Authority and Justice Tashi Rabstan, Judge, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh & Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority. Judges of High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will also be present in the inaugural session of the Meet, an official spokesman said.
The All India Legal Services Authorities Meet is being hosted by the Government of J&K and Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority under the aegis of National Legal Services Authority and is being attended by Chief Justices of High Courts, Executive Chairpersons, State Legal Services Authorities, Chairpersons, High Court Legal Services Committees, Member Secretary, NALSA, Member Secretary SCLSC, Member Secretaries SLSAs, Member Secretaries HCLSCs, members of LADCS, panel lawyers, law students, faculty and students of various law universities, members of prominent NGOs amongst others.
The Meet will deliberate on the future course of action for Legal Services Authorities, targets and various challenges present before it and the steps to be undertaken to strengthen and streamline legal aid programmes in the country.
