Strongly advocating reforms in the judiciary and stressing the need for revisiting some aspects of the law dealing with defection among politicians, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the country should have special judicial tribunals and set up a Supreme Court bench in Chennai, among others.
At the release of Listening, Learning & Leading that chronicles his two-year tenure in office, Mr. Naidu underlined the heavy pendency of cases in various courts and suggested ways to streamline and make justice delivery more effective.
Election petitions, criminal cases and disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law are not decided even until the entire term of the legislators, defeating the very purpose of these laws.
“The anti-defection law is not implemented in letter and spirit and because of the inaction of the Speaker or Chairman, the legislators continue in the new party and, in a few cases, even become ministers in the government.
This kind of travesty of justice should not be tolerated,” he said.
The country should have special judicial tribunals which will decide the cases within a reasonable time.
Expanding the Supreme Court Bench and having separate benches in different regions and at least one in Chennai on trial basis, enhancing the number of judges in the apex court, division of work into Constitutional Division and Courts of Appeal and raising the age of retirement of judges were also highlighted by Mr. Naidu.
He also called upon the media to be a “dispassionate watchdog, an honest messenger, a friendly adviser and a wholesome entertainer.”
Mr. Naidu also spoke against legislators disrupting the Parliament proceedings. “As I have repeatedly emphasised in my public speeches, I would like legislators across the country to “discuss, debate and decide” not ‘disrupt’,” he said.
