Govt to introduce new Bill on judicial transparency

NEW DELHI: In a bid to ensure transparency in the functioning of the judiciary, the Government on Wednesday proposed to set up a National Judicial Council to probe complaints against judges of higher judiciary.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to introduce the Judges (inquiry) Amendment Bill, 2008 in Parliament.

The bill seeks to establish a National Judicial Council with powers to investigate complaints against the judges of higher judiciary and recommend suitable action after following the prescribed procedure, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said after the meeting.

"The provisions of the new Bill would bring transparency in the functioning of the judiciary and would also enhance its prestige," he said.

"The Council will decide on the penalties on erring judges and judges alone will be members of the Council," he said.
The cabinet has also decided to withdraw the originally conceived Judges (inquiry) Bill, 2006 introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2006.

The withdrawal of the original Bill was in consonance with the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice in this regard, he said. In the backdrop of increasing allegations of misconduct against judges, the Committee had earlier asked the government to expedite the process of enacting a law on judicial accountability during the coming session of Parliament.