Will launch nationwide movement demanding judicial reforms: Prashant Bhushan

NEW DELHI: Alleging that the country's judiciary has an uneven and inconsistent track record in addressing social inequity, advocate Prashant Bhushan today said he will launch a nationwide movement along the lines of anti-corruption campaign, demanding judicial accountability and reforms in legal system.

"Judiciary has an uneven and inconsistent track record in addressing social inequity and safeguarding the constitutional guarantees given to common people.

"Although the judiciary needs to ensure that every common person must be able to approach the citadels of justice without any fear, we are losing confidence in their commitment to these principles and we are going to launch a nationwide movement similar to the anti-corruption movement," Bhushan said while addressing a press conference on a convention on Judicial Accountability and Reforms.

Former AAP leader Bhushan, who is the Convener of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR), said that he envisages a transparent and honest legal system where people can negotiate their own cases without the need of lawyers.

"The broad areas that need reform are access to justice, pendency, slow disposal of cases and competence of judges. It is time that an independent body to ensure judicial accountability on the lines of the Election Commission and CAG be set up," he added.

During the two-day convention which concluded yesterday, a campaign committee consisting of more than 15 campaigns was formed to spearhead the nationwide movement.

The convention also passed resolutions in areas which will form agenda of the campaign for next year including, corruption in judiciary and accountability, RTI and judiciary, judicial appointments and the NJAC, judicial delays, judiciary and environment, judiciary and social justice and civil liberties, among others.

Jagdish Chokker from National Election Watch said that given the complete lack of commitment of political parties to electoral and political reforms, it is clear that unless concerted public pressure is mounted nothing is going to change.

Nikhil Dey of the NCPRI added that transparency and accountability in the judiciary was the right of all people particularly of the poor and marginalised who often approach the judicial machinery as the very last recourse.

"For RTI activists and for all people's campaign their expectation that judiciary protects their fundamental rights, necessitates that the judiciary functions in the interests of people and their rights," he said.