Progressive Lawyers’ Association, Orissa offered recently a ‘Special Distinguished Lecture’ by India’s eminent lawyer, Additional Solicitor General Ms. Indira Jaising.
“Judicial Accountability and Judicial Ethics” was the topic on which she dwelt recently at Bhubaneswar.
Coming down heavily on the architects of the environment where Multi-National Corporations are perpetrating the crimes, but tribals are being prosecuted, she roared that India is infested with inherited judiciary and justice is being violated in the sanctum sanatorium of justice.
We place here her unedited speech, as to us, her every word is of relevance –
Organized by ‘Progressive Lawers’ Association’ (PLA) and ‘Law and Governance Foundation’ (L&GF) on May 15, the event was introduced by President of PLA, Kshirod Raut, who expressed deep dismay over judiciary taking over the Constitution in the matter of appointment of judges to the Apex Court.
Orissa Bar Council Member and Secretary of PLA and L&GF, Mr. Bibhu Prasad Tripathy also was worried over discernible decline in adherence to ethics in the system of justice when situation has become so alarming that, creation and implementation of law to ensure judicial accountability is getting louder and calling as never before. The system is to be saved from rising anarchy, he stressed, while maintaining “we are at war with ourselves” in this process.
Prof. V. Nagaraj, who recently preferred to relinquish the post of Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Orissa than entertaining illegal interventions, dwelt extensively on judicial ethics and expressed deep agony over growing feeling that there should be specific laws to make judges accountable. Care should be taken to recruit judges on the basis of their aptitude, he said while stressing on effective selection mechanism to weed out undeserving aspirants for judgeship so that the courts would stay the temples of justice as contemplated in the country’s Constitution.
A book on Child Sexual Abuse by activist Shaila Behera was released by Ms. Jaising, who was felicitated by Smt. Shailabala Pujari with Swayamprabha Samman.
Advocate Kumar Bastia coordinated the debate and Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of India, Ms. Anindita Pujari proposed the vote of thanks.