Victims lack confidence in legal aid lawyers: Justice Lokur

The criminal justice system has huge problems and needs both procedural and substantive reforms as poor clients lack faith in legal aid lawyers, Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur today said.
He also said there was a need for reforming the police force which is in a bad shape and the recommendations for improving it have not been implemented, including reducing their burden.
"In most of the capital punishment cases, either the lawyers are not good enough or the accused is illiterate and hence it affects his defence," he said.
"There are huge problems with the criminal justice system and needs a lot of reforms, both procedural and substantive," Justice Lokur said during a panel discussion on the Death Penalty India report by the Centre on the Death Penalty of National Law University here.

"In most criminal cases, accused have not even met their lawyers concerned," he said adding the understanding of language and the court proceedings along with poor financial conditions make things difficult for illiterate clients.
While discussing the procedural issues in the criminal justice system, he further said, "Our police force is in a very bad shape. The report on police reforms is yet to be implemented. Unless we have a specialised agency, things are not going to improve."
"It's the system that has to be reformed, not the lawyers or judges," he reiterated.
Centre on Death Penalty of Delhi National Law University released the 'Death Penalty India Report' at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and the panel of the discussion also comprised Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan and Anup Surendranath, director of the centre.