Difficult to get justice in the jungle of laws: Modi
Mumbai Mirror Bureau
The prime minister says vague laws foremost reason for pendency of cases in courts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said in Mumbai that vague laws that lend themselves to different interpretations are the foremost reason for pendency of cases in courts. “At the root of pendency of cases are laws that have 10 interpretations. There is shortage of quality manpower for drafting laws,” he said while addressing the valedictory function of the sesquicentennial celebration of the Advocates Association of Western India at NSCI in Worli.
He suggested that legal educational institutions should include a subject dealing with improvement of law drafting skill in their curriculum. “It is difficult to get justice in the jungle of laws. I had said I will consider myself successful if I am able to finish one outdated law everyday in my tenure of five years. I have completed my quota of five years in just a few months by doing away with 1,700 irrelevant acts," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, setting up commercial courts, replacing physical deposition before court of law through sworn - in affidavits, a pre–trial conference to finalise schedule for the trial and promote alternate dispute redressal (ADR) system were among the measures listed by the Union Law and Justice Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who also addressed the gathering of current and former high court judges, lower judiciary, lawyers and law students. Gowda said that it was high time that all the three stakeholders in the process of delivery of justice - government, courts and lawyers worked in tandem to reduce the pendency.
He said that the government was thinking of bringing out an amendment to the Negotiable Instruments Act - the act which deals with cases of cheque bounce, which happens to be one of the significant contributors to the number of pending cases in the lower courts - and introduce ADR measures. Gowda, however, did not specify any deadline by when the measures would be introduced.
This comes on the backdrop of the Union government deciding not to appeal against the Bombay High Court ruling on the famous Vodafone tax case. The case pertained to transfer pricing relating to undervaluation of share capital issued by Vodafone India Services Private Limited (Vodafone India) to its Mauritius parent. The tax department sought to bring the transaction of issue of share capital within the transfer pricing ambit. Supreme Court Justice Sharad Bobade and Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Mohit Shah were also present at the event.
PM MODI VISIT TO PAWAR STRONGHOLD TRIGGERS POLITICAL REALIGNMENT TALKS
Putting behind the rancour of bitterly fought Maharashtra Assembly polls, Narendra Modi on Saturday shared dais with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and had lunch with him, setting off speculation about a possible political realignment in the state. Though the two leaders insisted that no political meaning should be read into the public bonhomie exhibited by them, much political significance is being attached to their coming together following strains in BJP's relations with ally Shiv Sena. Modi, who had while stumping for the Assembly elections in October last year called NCP a "naturally corrupt party" and asked the people to free themselves from the “yoke” of the Pawar family, attended events related to the various establishments run by Sharad Pawar on his home turf Baramati.
He visited the Vidya Pratishthan, run by the Pawars, and inaugurated the Appasaheb Pawar Auditorium named after Sharad Pawar's brother, an influential leader of the sugar cooperative movement from where the NCP leader draws much of his political clout. Modi praised Pawar at a farmers' conclave at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, a Central government undertaking, where he inaugurated a Centre for Excellence for Vegetables and thanked him for inviting him to Baramati.
“As chief minister of Gujarat, I faced problems, including those from the Government of India. I then used to call Sharad Rao and he rose above party politics and helped me out. Never a month passed when we didn't talk two to three times. For his contribution, I felicitate him here in Baramati,” Modi said.
Mindful of presence of a large media contingent at the event, Modi said, "It is a special day for the media. They would keenly observe what I said earlier during the polls and what I say today. This is the beauty of democracy.”
The prime minister says vague laws foremost reason for pendency of cases in courts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said in Mumbai that vague laws that lend themselves to different interpretations are the foremost reason for pendency of cases in courts. “At the root of pendency of cases are laws that have 10 interpretations. There is shortage of quality manpower for drafting laws,” he said while addressing the valedictory function of the sesquicentennial celebration of the Advocates Association of Western India at NSCI in Worli.
Law drafting skills
He suggested that legal educational institutions should include a subject dealing with improvement of law drafting skill in their curriculum. “It is difficult to get justice in the jungle of laws. I had said I will consider myself successful if I am able to finish one outdated law everyday in my tenure of five years. I have completed my quota of five years in just a few months by doing away with 1,700 irrelevant acts," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, setting up commercial courts, replacing physical deposition before court of law through sworn - in affidavits, a pre–trial conference to finalise schedule for the trial and promote alternate dispute redressal (ADR) system were among the measures listed by the Union Law and Justice Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who also addressed the gathering of current and former high court judges, lower judiciary, lawyers and law students. Gowda said that it was high time that all the three stakeholders in the process of delivery of justice - government, courts and lawyers worked in tandem to reduce the pendency.
He said that the government was thinking of bringing out an amendment to the Negotiable Instruments Act - the act which deals with cases of cheque bounce, which happens to be one of the significant contributors to the number of pending cases in the lower courts - and introduce ADR measures. Gowda, however, did not specify any deadline by when the measures would be introduced.
This comes on the backdrop of the Union government deciding not to appeal against the Bombay High Court ruling on the famous Vodafone tax case. The case pertained to transfer pricing relating to undervaluation of share capital issued by Vodafone India Services Private Limited (Vodafone India) to its Mauritius parent. The tax department sought to bring the transaction of issue of share capital within the transfer pricing ambit. Supreme Court Justice Sharad Bobade and Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Mohit Shah were also present at the event.
PM MODI VISIT TO PAWAR STRONGHOLD TRIGGERS POLITICAL REALIGNMENT TALKS
Putting behind the rancour of bitterly fought Maharashtra Assembly polls, Narendra Modi on Saturday shared dais with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and had lunch with him, setting off speculation about a possible political realignment in the state. Though the two leaders insisted that no political meaning should be read into the public bonhomie exhibited by them, much political significance is being attached to their coming together following strains in BJP's relations with ally Shiv Sena. Modi, who had while stumping for the Assembly elections in October last year called NCP a "naturally corrupt party" and asked the people to free themselves from the “yoke” of the Pawar family, attended events related to the various establishments run by Sharad Pawar on his home turf Baramati.
He visited the Vidya Pratishthan, run by the Pawars, and inaugurated the Appasaheb Pawar Auditorium named after Sharad Pawar's brother, an influential leader of the sugar cooperative movement from where the NCP leader draws much of his political clout. Modi praised Pawar at a farmers' conclave at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, a Central government undertaking, where he inaugurated a Centre for Excellence for Vegetables and thanked him for inviting him to Baramati.
“As chief minister of Gujarat, I faced problems, including those from the Government of India. I then used to call Sharad Rao and he rose above party politics and helped me out. Never a month passed when we didn't talk two to three times. For his contribution, I felicitate him here in Baramati,” Modi said.
Mindful of presence of a large media contingent at the event, Modi said, "It is a special day for the media. They would keenly observe what I said earlier during the polls and what I say today. This is the beauty of democracy.”
