Dharwad: Supreme Court Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar called upon young advocates to be good human beings first and then good lawyers. Speaking as the chief guest of the function to mark the decennial celebrations of the Dharwad Bench of Karnataka high court here on Saturday, he said the litigant public come with lot of faith in the judiciary and advocates should not let them down.“With the staggering pendency of cases through the country, the burden is at an escalated state which demands the best efforts of both the legal profession and judges in maintenance of rule of law and hence there should be a perfect coordination between the Bar and Bench to dispense speedy justice,” he said.Asking advocates to never stop the pursuit of excellence, quoting Martin Luther King Jr, he said, “If you cannot fly, then run, if you cannot run, then walk, if you cannot walk, then crawl but by all means keep moving.”Referring to the inequality in the distribution of wealth and economic power and concentration of wealth in few hands, he reminded all those in the judiciary that the affected people approach judiciary as a last resort and it is the bounden duty of the judiciary to ensure that they are not disappointed.Karnataka chief justice Dinesh Maheshwari said he was happy that in the last decade the Bench at Dharwad had grown in all aspects.Stating that decennial celebrations should not make lawyers content and complacent, he said it is an occasion to introspect and rededicate oneself to the cause of legal services.He said judges look at advocates to help them deliver speedy justice by providing correct and true facts of the case without delay. For that to happen, advocates must be well prepared, he added.Advocate general Uday Holla lauded the efforts of advocates in the Dharwad Bench in enhancing their professional abilities and communication skills and said the striving should not stop.Justice R B Budihal, former high court judges B S Patil, B Srinivase Gowda and Ratnakala were felicitated on the occasion. All the four judges spoke about the importance of maintaining the dignity and integrity of the judiciary.Presiding over the function, Dharwad High Court Bench Bar Association president R D Desai appealed to the Karnataka chief justice to permit filing of PILs and writ petitions related to company matters at Dharwad Bench of high court. Association vice-president J M Gangadhar welcomed the gathering. Secretary J S Shetty proposed a vote of thanks.

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