Constitution Day 2022: Highlights Of The Speech Of Attorney General Of India
The Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani today spoke during the Constitution Day celebrations of the Supreme Court of India that was attended by the Prime Minister, Law Minister and the Chief Justice of India, among other dignitaries.
Following are the highlights of the speech of the Attorney General.
Courts- Comfort Clinics | Goal of Legal Fraternity
"The day when jails are empty of youth, the day when jails become really soul transformative. The day when our Courts at the initial levels become comfort clinics. The day when every citizen in need of justice finds it on their doorstep, that day ought to be the day the legal fraternity must be looking for."
Overloading of the Supreme Court
"It is important that government stops overloading the (Supreme) Court with endless statutory appeals alongside a seamless and huge flow of cases from High Courts. The conversion of Supreme Court into a small causes court must stop. Even though, for one in trouble, any court is good enough."
De-congestion of the High Court
"Whether we keep engaging our thoughts on a national court of appeals or not, we need to strengthen our High Courts and also decongest them, which alone can stem the flow of work in the Supreme Court."
Settlement Commission for Property Disputes | Permanent Law Commission
"Our property dispute laws must undergo review and must become settlement commissions, away from adversarial motions. Our family courts must become family comfort institutions. For doing all this, we need a permanent law commission with legal reforms wing, court reforms wing, coordination wing with the courts, and a dedicated research wing connected to law schools."
24 Hours Legal Service Hospital
"The vast spread of our people in various deprivations- who are justice hungry, remained untouched. They lack public defender's assistance, they lack neighbourhood legal service provision- which must serve them 24 hours like hospitals."
Free Legal Service
"Every panchayat must have a legal service provision. In a digital age, making it happen, cannot be a problem. The structure of free legal services, even in semi-urban and urban, are still far from matching the needs or demands. Most important and radically new ways of conceiving and organizing their basic needs through innovative institutional structures need to be explored.
Socio-Economic Entitlement Commission
"Socio-economic entitlement commissions which can resolve social and economic needs and demands of deprived sections of a community may be conceived to relieve courts from inadequately addressing them."
Justice Provision Tax
"Also, the need to come to courts to settle matters of salary or pay or pensions or retiral benefits must cease. If there be a justice provision tax on the rich and abled, let it be conceived. I suppose the administration of justice comprehends all means of fulfilling these tasks."
Litigation Policy | Departmental Resolution Wing
"For long, governments have been talking about litigation policies. There is no reason why this policy cannot emerge. Every department must have a resolution wing with competent and independent legal equipments, to resolve fact-based issues. Every matter need not be a legal dispute matter. Only complex legal issues which cannot be otherwise settled must go for institutional resolution."
One Year- A Roadmap
"I am confident that government will lend its ears to an earnest Attorney General to draw a quick roadmap in all the above. If only we dedicate one year exclusively for each subject, we can progress with great dispatch."
Bharat- A Leader
"Bharat can lead the way by setting its own benchmarks. I will like to look for the day when the West may come for learning from us on justice standards. Colonialism of minds and people will then cease."
