SC judge stresses calm demeanor in court

Supreme Court judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar has said a judge should always show a “judicial temperament” and maintain a cool demeanor in the courtroom

“A judge's attitude and courtroom behavior matters a lot. A judge should not lose his patience with the stubborn,” Justice Mazhar said in his address to district courts judges at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) on Saturday.

According to the judge, bar associations usually do not criticize a judge’s decisions and the thing that rattles them is a judge's attitude and behavior. Bar associations, he said, feel perturbed when a judge has an attitude problem. “Judges need to pay a little attention to this issue” he said.

Justice Mazhar quipped that when a judge gets angry too much and too often his disease--like blood pressure, sugar, and others—also aggravate

“A judge should always be with his judicial temperament. A judge has a pen. He should run the court and write his judgment in a cool-headed manner," he said.

Highlighting the importance of judgment writing and recording of evidence in a proper manner, he described judgment writing as an art. He said in a criminal case, evidence is the foundation upon which both sides build their respective arguments.

The judge said a judicial academy must equip trainee judges with both these skills.

“These skills not only help to provide expeditious justice to the litigant public but also enhance the image and perception about the justice delivery."

Sharing a glimpse of his own journey, he said before his elevation as a SC judge, he served as a judge of the Sindh High Court where he had the privilege of serving in various capacities including the acting director general of the Sindh Judicial Academy.

“In my tenure I always tried to take on a dynamic and energetic approach towards judicial education and training which is the foundation of a proactive judiciary for proper administration and dispensation of justice," he added.

Justice Mazhar also appreciated the smart use of technology and social media such as E-studio and YouTube among others for the promotion of quality judicial education and training. In the end, the judge awarded certificates to 25 district and sessions judges and 30 civil judges and judicial magistrates.