An independent ‘judicial Lokpal’ with power to take up complaints and initiate action against judges should be set up to ensure accountability of the judiciary, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan said here on Saturday.
“There should be an independent institution for lodging complaints against judges. The institution should be independent from both the judiciary and the government like a judicial Lokpal,” said Mr. Bhushan.
He was addressing a conference in the city’s Jadavpur University held for the launch of the West Bengal Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (WBCJAR). The WBCJAR will be affiliated to the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) led by Mr. Bhushan.
“There should be an independent selection committee, similar to the one for selecting the Jan Lokpal, for appointment of the judicial Lokpal which will have complete power to entertain complaints against judges and take action,” he said.
Mr. Bhushsan alleged that the independence of the judiciary was being undermined for several reasons: the absence of any concrete system to ensure their accountability; post-retirement jobs granted by the Centre and the government’s power to grant funding for foreign trips.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of “promoting and patronising” a culture of “telling lies and spreading fake information”, Mr. Bhushan said that ensuring the independence of the judiciary has become even more important in such a situation.
“In such a situation the role of the Supreme Court becomes more important than ever,” said Mr. Bhushan.
