The Anglican Bishop of Cape Coast, R.T. Rev. Dr. Victor Reginald Atta-Baffoe has charged members of the judiciary to be transparent and also consider human dignity in the delivery of justice.
He said the judiciary cannot justify their work if human dignity is not respected and guided, explaining that human dignity is the basis for all rights and “the first of which is the right to life.”
The Reverend Minister made the statement as a Guest Speaker at a special church service for the opening of the 66th legal year of the Judicial Service, which was held in Accra last Saturday.
Drawing inspiration from the legal year’s theme: “Building the pillars of justice,” he said the judiciary owed it a duty to the citizenry to be guided by these principles.
“The level of justice that you show, unambiguous determination, describes your level of relationship with God. Remember it is not the prayers, fasting and speaking in tongues that build justice, it’s about what you do to the disadvantaged.
“To be spiritual is not praying more than anyone, it is not to fast more than anyone, it is not been morally or ethically more than anyone. As a matter of fact, to be spiritual is to seek justice to rescue the oppressed, provide for the poor, care for the widow and the wanderer,” he said.
He cautioned the practitioners of the legal fraternity that justice was not something that they could sit and talk about, but something they must exhibit in practice.
According to him, the pillars of justice should be built to give people hope, saying “…in our day-to-day practice of the law, we are also being called to pay attention to the cardinal points of justice and not to act in our own interests.”
In her new legal year message printed on a brochure, Chief Justice (CJ) Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo promised to engage with stakeholders to help build the justice system through law ethics, assets and due process to enhance the quality justice delivery.
“It is my fervent desire and commitment that as we do so, the wheels of justice will stop grinding slowly, and begin to grind efficiently, effectively and with increasing finality, so that court users will appreciate the role of the courts in the stability, wealth creation, and security of the nation,” she stressed.
