Judges accountability bill to ensure corruption-free judiciary

Union law minister Veerappa Moily today said the proposed Judges Standard and Accountability Bill would ensure no 'tainted' lawyer or subordinate court judge could be elevated to higher courts.

"A perception has entered that there is corruption and that there is no accountability or standard with judges. We would like to remove this in the best interest of the judiciary. A bill is therefore being brought in and has gone to the Group of Ministers for further discussion," he said.

Moily said the perception that 'once a judge, always a judge' needs to be changed.

"Judges should have certain virtues and be of right character, which will benefit the judiciary," he said, after laying the foundation of a Rs27 crore additional block in the court complex in Puducherry.

Moily said the Centre, keeping in mind that the poorest of the poor should get justice, has formed around 5,000 village level courts and pointed out that the 13th Finance Commission had recommended a grant of Rs5,000 crore to set up these courts for the next five years.

The Arbitration and Conciliation Act would be amended to ensure India emerged as the most preferred destination for international arbitration, he said.

On the continuing reforms in the judicial system, the minister said a national workshop on "Second Generation of Reforms on Legal Education" at Delhi on May 1 and 2 to be inaugurated by the prime minister, would help ensure continuing education for lawyers to create a world class team of legal professionals.

Union minister V Narayanasamy, who was present, said the Centre had earmarked Rs 24,000 crore to set up village level courts, covering about 30,000 villages.

Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice HL Gokhale, who presided, said pendency of cases had come down steeply in Chennai because of cooperation from lawyers and judges putting in additional hours of work.

However,lawyers at the district level were not cooperating, he said and sought to know why they should boycott courts to highlight their grievances, when it could be solved through dialogue. "You should assist in administration of justice," he said, adding that the Bar and the Bench were "two sides of the same coin."