Judiciary Image must be restored; Say Prominent Judges
Patna: December 11, 2006
On the second and concluding day of the National Seminar on Erosion of Values in Judicial System in Patna on Sunday, prominent judges from across the nation expressed their views on the need to re-establish faith in the judiciary that had suffered some setback thanks to some unscrupulous elements in the system.
"If there was a perception within the public that the judiciary is corrupt and can be bought, then we should not take the allegations lightly and try to come up with a solution that removes such image for the sake of preserving our democracy," former Supreme Court Chief Justice G. B. Patnaik said in his speech.
Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Roy, however, disagreed with the insinuation that the corruption has seeped into the judiciary. "There are some problems within the judicial system but it still continues to remain one of the most sacred institution of the Indian democracy," he said adding those ministers and legislators who accuse the court system of being corrupt should first do a house cleaning of their own.
Dr. J. N. Bhatt, Patna High Court Chief Justice, in his speech, said if the judges and the lawyers maintained integrity in their duties and responsibilities, other corrupt elements could not damage the image of the judiciary.
Former Law Minister Shakeel Ahmed Khan said that it was the responsibility of the judges to remove corruption from the system. The lawyers can help the judge in this respect but ultimately the onus falls on the judges to maintain the integrity of the court system in India.
Khan also suggested appointment of judges through competition though several prominent advocates, while refusing to go on record, said this was a way to introduce reservation in judiciary as has been advocated by leaders like Khan and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, among others.
Among others, who spoke on the occasion included Orissa High Court justice S. J. Mukhopadhyaya, former president of the Bar Council of India P. B. Subbarao, and many other legal experts from around the nation.
|
