Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday confirmed the government’s decision to amend the provisions of the Lokpal Act and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to do away with the requirement of quorum in the high-profile committees to select the anti-corruption ombudsman and the CBI Director, respectively.
The inclusion of a clause in the statutory provisions dealing with the selection panels would provide a legal safeguard against any challenges on the validity of an appointment.
Mr. Gowda said necessary amendments would also be made in the statutes to include the leader of the single largest group in the Opposition as a member of the selection committee in the absence of a recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
This would bring these statutes in line with the Central Vigilance Act, 2003 and Right to Information Act, 2005.
On the ratification process of the National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, the Minister said he has written to Chief Ministers to ratify the Bill at the earliest.
At least 15 States have to ratify the Bill for it to be made law. Noting that three States have so far ratified the Bill, he referred to reports in the media that the Gujarat Assembly has also followed suit.
Dismissing apprehensions that the Bill threatens judicial independence, he said, “We have the highest regard for the independence of the judiciary.”
Mr Gowda said the government was considering a proposal to increase the retirement age of high court judges from 62 to 65, and also increase the number of high court judges from the present strength of 925 to 1,112.
The Minister said a National Litigation Policy is being framed and inputs have been sought from various Ministries to reduce the backlog in the courts.
He emphasised that alternative dispute redressal mechanisms like arbitration and conciliation should be used more often to resolve disputes arising within government departments and bodies.
