Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva today called for new thinking in law universities and courts to change the judicial and legal system in the country to suit to "our climate", and "responsive to common man".
Speaking at the convocation ceremony at NLU, Jodhpur, Alva said many of the laws and procedures were inherited from the British and they need to be "dumped in the dustbin" as they were promulgated with the colonial implications.
The need was to begin work on "jurisprudence commensurate with the Indian genius, responsive to the common man", she said.
Alva regretted the erosion of ethics in the profession, saying there was collusion between lawyers and registry to "fix benches".
"Credibility of the profession is at stake and collusion between lawyers and registry to fix benches, prosecution and defence, bench and bar is a matter of concern," she said.
The Governor also questioned the relevance of references like "My Lord" and the dress code in courts, including the practice of donning head gears and gowns at convocations.
"Instead, we should opt for something based on our cultural traditions, suited to our climate. The Bench and the Bar need to do the same," she suggested.
Quoting an NCRB report that about 65 per cent inmates in the jail are under-trials, the Governor cited a Supreme Court observation, which said "it is indisputable that an unnecessarily prolonged detention in prison of under-trials is an affront to a civilised legal system".
