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Judicial reforms flavour of 2012

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Jan 20 2013 | 6:57 AM IST

In March, the Lok Sabha passed an ambitious bill to lay judicial standards but despite two sessions of Parliament the bill could not be brought in the Rajya Sabha.

Besides concentrating its energies on the bill on judicial standards and accountability this year, the government also reiterated its plans to change the present mechanism of appointment of senior judges by a collegium of judges.

The year also saw a change of guard in the Law Ministry with Ashwani Kumar taking over as the new minister from Salman Khurshid, who was made the external affairs minister. Kumar is the third law minister in the UPA II government, with the first M Veerappa Moily now heading the Petroleum Ministry.

The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session amid din over Telangana issue.

Following stiff opposition by eminent jurists and the higher judiciary, government had agreed to have a relook at a controversial clause which debars judges from making verbal comments against any constitutional authority in open courts.

But the government decided to retain the clause.

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A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December approved amendments to the bill.

While deciding to retain the controversial clause, it has made some changes in it to ensure it "stands the test of Article 14 which deals with equality before law". (MORE)

  

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First Published: Dec 27 2012 | 11:45 AM IST

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