Chief Justice of India Justice B R Gavai is recuperating at a Delhi hospital after developing a severe infection during an official visit to Hyderabad last week, an official source told PTI on Monday. “The CJI is responding well and is expected to be discharged and resume duties in a day or two,” the source said. Justice Gavai was in Hyderabad on July 12 to address the convocation ceremony at Nalsar University of Law. He released a special postal cover entitled “Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar – Constituent Assembly – Constitution of India” and unveiled picture postcards on Art & Calligraphy in the Constitution of India in the presence of senior judicial and postal officials, according to an official release. ‘Decades-Long’ Trial Delays Must End: CJI Gavai Speaking to the graduating class, the Chief Justice warned that India’s justice system faces “unique challenges” that have left some undertrials behind bars for years:“Our country and legal system are facing unique challenges. Delays in trials can sometimes go for decades. We have seen cases where someone has been found innocent after spending years in jail as an undertrial. Our best talent can help us resolve the problems that we are facing,” he said. To underscore the point, he quoted US federal judge Jed S Rakoff: “Even though I conclude that our legal system is in bad need of fixing, I remain cautiously optimistic that my fellow (citizens) will rise to the challenge.” Later, in a lecture at Osmania University on The Role of Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar in the Framing of the Indian Constitution, Justice Gavai highlighted the Constitution’s unifying force: “We see that in the journey of last 75 years, though there are many external aggressions, many internal disturbances, but India has always remained strong and united.” He urged the audience to uphold Ambedkar’s ideals: “Let us all commit ourselves to taking forward the goal of framers of the Constitution in achieving economic and social justice along with political justice and ensure that the justice reaches to the last, most needy citizen of the country.” The Chief Justice cautioned young lawyers against rushing into expensive overseas programmes: “A foreign degree alone is not a stamp of your worth. Don’t take this decision in the reflex of thought or under your peer pressure. What happens next? Years of debt, anxiety, career decisions made under financial burden.”Mental-Health Plea for the Legal Fraternity Addressing the profession’s demanding work culture, he observed, “You will feel pressure, not just to succeed but also to appear to be successful. Many hide their struggles. I urge not to.” Justice Gavai is expected to return to the bench within the next few days, once discharged from hospital. (This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)