IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Feb 23: President of India Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday stressed reform in the country’s judicial system saying “It is high time for everyone to not just think but also act on judicial reforms.” He was releasing the book ‘Judicial Reforms – Recent Global Trends’ here at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said: “our judicial system established decades ago require major changes. Reform is a continuous process. It cannot be stop and go. Every system develops clogs. There is need for constant change. Justice Dalbir Bhandari has done useful work to ignite the thinking process of the nation on the subject of judicial reforms. It is high time for everyone to not just think but also act on judicial reforms.”
Justice Dalveer Bhandari is President of India International Law Foundation which has brought out the book.
The President pointed out that no reform is possible without adequate infrastructure. In his entire period as President, the Allahabad High Court which is the largest in the country had less than 50 % of its sanctioned posts of 180 judges filled. If this situation of the higher judiciary is so bad, one can imagine the conditions of the lower judiciary.
“State and Union Governments should work hand in hand to address the shortage of basic infrastructure such as courtrooms and essential facilities for judges. There is no dearth of talent in the country but there must be a system in place to address such issues,” he said.
The book ‘Judicial Reforms – Recent Global Trends’ is the outcome of a Seminar on ‘Recent Trends in Judicial Reforms: A Global Perspective’ held in January 2013 in New Delhi.
