- ‘People will be able to approach apex court sitting at home’
- Mediation bill in next session, will reduce pendency by 40-45 pc
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 8: Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju said today that the Government is working on a system to have four regional benches of Supreme Court in North, South, East and West India and to put a system in place that people can approach the apex court while sitting at home through virtual mode.
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“A similar practice can later also be extended to the High Court and even Lower Courts,” Rijiju said addressing gathering after releasing first edition of Dogri version of the Constitution of India at University of Jammu in the presence of Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh High Court Justice Kotiswar Singh among others.
Rijiju said the Government is working on a system to have four regional benches of the Supreme court including North, South, East and West India to ensure that the people don’t have to go to New Delhi to file a case in the apex court.
“The people will be able to file a case in the Supreme Court sitting in Jammu,” Rijiju said and added the Government is working on the system that people are able to file the case through virtual mode from their own place.
He announced that an exercise to this effect is on.
“Similar practice can be later implemented in the High Court and even Lower Courts so that these court too are beyond the four walls of their complexes,” the Law and Justice Minister, who is on a two-day visit of Jammu and Kashmir, said.
Voicing concern over pending cases, Rijiju said the Mediation Bill is in final stage.
“We wanted the bill to be introduced in budget session of the Parliament (which concluded yesterday) but couldn’t do so. Now, the bill will be introduced in Monsoon session of the Parliament,” he said, adding this will reduce pendency of cases especially civil suits by 40 to 45 percent.
Without referring to abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, Rijiju said situation in Jammu and Kashmir seems very good as it now seems like any other part of India.
“It was the Prime Minister’s thought provoking decision,” he said and lauded those who implemented it on ground including security forces, Government officials and public representatives.
He also strongly appreciated the judiciary’s working in sensitive Jammu and Kashmir.
“The pendency is touching 5 crores now which is a concern. The virtual courts and regional bench can come up. I have committed to J&K that all the courts in J&K must have all modern facilities. Rs 7,000 crore budget for e-Court. It will make courts paperless,” Rijiju said later in a tweet.
He added that in Uttar Pradesh 25 crore population of 20 to 25 years have to wait for a date in the High Court and it pains him. Many people die before they get justice.
“It’s a momentous occasion, a memorable day has happened today. I think of how the common man can get justice. PM Modi has said that the colonial setup has to be cleaned. This is one amongst Panch Pran by Narendra Modi,” he added.
He said it doesn’t mean that we should not learn English but we have to know our mother tongue. Our legal bills are drafted in legal language as well as everyday language. 2003 Dogri language was included in the 8th schedule so it was being tried since then and today it has been done.
“It has been late as in the constitution there has been a provision of choosing the state language. As Law Minister, I feel that it has been late. Our department has digitalized 65,000 words of legal glossary for common people which are used regularly. We are cloud-sourcing. We have told the courts to work in our own language. In the Supreme Court may be in future that can also be done. We are trying to achieve that,” he added.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after the function, Rijiju attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying he has failed politically, and claimed the Adani issue is being “deliberately” raked up to “brighten his political career”.
He also accused the Congress of undermining the judiciary and said if the opposition party tries to “tear apart” the Constitution by attacking the judiciary, “we will not stay silent”.
“I am not going to make any comment on it (the Hindenburg-Adani issue) as the Supreme Court has already formed a committee and is looking into it. But I want to say that this all is being done to brighten the political career of Rahul Gandhi,” Rijiju said.
He said it is “deliberately” being made into an issue.
“The country is run by the Constitution and the law of the land. One man has failed politically and they are trying to highlight controversies, make an issue out of these to brighten his career,” the Union Minister said.
“The Congress is in frustration and attacking the judiciary but the Government will not stay silent,” Rijiju said when asked about a reported threat by a Congress leader to chop off the tongue of the judge in Surat who had convicted Gandhi in a 2019 criminal defamation case.
“It is the habit of the Congress (to issue threats against the judiciary). Even before the imposition of the Emergency in 1975, its leaders attacked the judiciary and they will make further attacks because of their frustration,” the Law Minister alleged.
Rijiju said that “we are followers of the Constitution and if they try to tear apart the Constitution, we will not stay silent”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has rightly said that a person linked to dynastic politics is in danger and not democracy, he said.
Attacking Gandhi over his recent remarks in the UK, Shah on Friday in Uttar Pradesh had said that it is not democracy that is in danger, but “your family” and the idea of dynasty politics that is under threat.
An official handout said: Earlier, Kiren Rijiju, today released the first edition of Dogri version of the Constitution of India at University of Jammu here.
Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, Justice Kotiswar Singh, Senior Judges of High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Vice Chancellor, JU, Professor Umesh Rai, Secretary, Law, Achal Sethi, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Avny Lavasa, faculty members of the University, senior functionaries from the Centre and J&K Government were present on the occasion.
Speaking during the event, the Union Minister termed this translated document very significant in dispensation of justice to common people. He maintained that understanding law is essential in accessing justice by a common person and it can’t be done better than having it codified in one’s mother tongue.
He remarked that although the task has been accomplished a bit late after enshrining Dogri language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution back in 2003 but the cause of furthering its impact among people should not be delayed any further. He applauded the varsity for providing necessary support to the translators for this noble work.
Regarding developments with respect to making the process of justice delivery easy and affordable, he revealed that the Government is digitizing a whole array of about 65000 words of legal glossary to frame a core vocabulary for understanding of all the citizens.
He also informed that the Rs 9000 crore for upgradation of infrastructure at lower judiciary and Rs 7000 crore for e-Courts project is aimed at making the process of delivery of justice easily accessible and freely available. He recalled that the time is not far when our courts would become totally paperless after completion of the 3rd phase of e-Court project. He said that the project has greatly aided in the working of courts during COVID-19 pandemic.
The Union Minister greatly admired the young lawyers who contribute in furthering the agenda of National Legal Services Authority in providing free justice to people. He pointed out that the concept of pro bono is a wonderful cause and the elite lawyers should also contribute in extending their services through this programme for the larger good of public. He asserted that the judiciary has vital function of striking balance between ensuring freedom of speech and safeguarding the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation simultaneously.
In his speech, Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh said that all the legal discourses whether academic or legal are meant to benefit public. He said that the purpose can only be served better if such debates are also comprehensible to common masses. He gave out that the same is possible only when the law of the land is available to masses in the language they understand well.
He further said that our brightest minds were there to frame our Constitution. Those who say that the values of Justice, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality were borrowed are unaware about the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which enshrines in itself these higher principles much before than presented by the west.
Justice Kotiswar also stated that the democratization of justice is important in a way to make justice available to rich and poor alike. He maintained that an informed decision about any legal matter can be taken by having both facts and law at hand. He enunciated that the knowledge of law empowers people without any discrimination.
In his welcome address, Vice Chancellor, Jammu University, Professor Umesh Rai, said that the document is a joint accomplishment of Department of Law, GoI and the University that came to fruition after the hard work of 3 years. He observed that it would aid people in understanding and demanding their Constitutionally enshrined rights. He also applauded those who contributed in making this translation work possible. He made out that the motive of ‘Viksit Bharat’ is incomplete without going back to our rich culture and heritage.
Those who were felicitated by the Union Minister on the occasion for this translation work included Professor Archana Kesar, the then Head, Department of Dogri, University of Jammu, Prakash Premi, Dogri writer and translator, Yash Paul Nirmal and Nirmal Vikram both Dogri writers and translators.
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