Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday reiterated the government’s commitment to work with the judiciary and said that the Law Commission was looking at the improvements in the court procedure and processes for a better criminal justice system. He stressed the need for delivering timely justice to millions of people in the country at an affordable cost.
Singh said an inter-ministerial group was examining what amendments in the Negotiable Instrument Act were needed, along with other measures, to check increasing litigation arising out of cases of bouncing of cheques. The prime minister said the judicial institutions in the country face the unenviable task of delivering timely justice to millions of people at an affordable cost. With the rapid economic growth that our country has seen in the last two decades or so, this task has become even more complex, more specialised and more challenging, he noted. He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the Sesquicentennial celebrations of the Bombay High Court.
“We have taken a number of initiatives for this purpose. In the year 2011, we launched the National Mission for Justice Delivery with the twin objectives of increasing access by reducing delays and arrears and enhancing accountability. A Constitution Amendment Bill for raising the age of retirement for Judges of the high courts is now before Parliament. A comprehensive proposal has been formulated for establishment of an All India Judicial Service,” said the prime minister.
According to the prime minister, it was heartening to know that the overall pendency of cases in various courts of the country has declined by more than 6 lakh over the period from July to December 2011.
The Bombay High Court and its subordinate courts have contributed handsomely to this achievement, reducing their pendency by 5 lakh cases annually since the year 2010, added Singh.
