New judicial year begins

The political power cannot pursue unlimited authority, said Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Hasan Gerceker yesterday. Addressing a ceremony marking the beginning of the judicial year, Gerceker warned against "totalitarian systems," adding that criminal gangs work to fill vacuums in the rule of law, in an apparent reference to the Ergenekon probe. Saying that criminals should face punishment as soon as possible after their conviction, Gerceker also spoke about judicial issues such as personal rights. Stating that compounding one mistake with another damages society even if there are good intentions behind this, he added, "Determining who is guilty and interpreting the law is the judiciary's duty, and everyone should respect this under the rule of law. I hope that a just path is reached through not mixing right and wrong, and not politicizing law in the judicial process." Among those attending the ceremony were President Abdullah Gul, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hasim Kilic, Council of State head Mustafa Birden, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and Interior Minister Besir Atalay.