Members seek reforms, but Jaitley offers panel

The Government is likely to come up with the National Judicial Commission to ensure accountability of judges. But, as Law Minister Arun Jait...

The Government is likely to come up with the National Judicial Commission to ensure accountability of judges. But, as Law Minister Arun Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha today during a debate on judicial reforms, the commission’s composition hadn’t yet been decided.

Members, who were drawn into the discussion through a Private Member’s resolution moved by Saifuddin Soz (Congress), demanded the judiciary be made accountable, particularly the appointments of judges be made transparent. Another view was that the supremacy of the executive over judiciary in the appointment of judges be restored.

SPEAKER OF THE DAY

This is a promise MPs may just hold Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi to. As Zero Hour fell hostage to UP politics, legislators keen to focus on other issues beseeched the Speaker to do something. Joshi concurred, saying, ‘‘From the next session, we will make an attempt not to raise state issues.’’ We certainly await news of the code he intends to deliver on his intention.

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In any case, Ramjilal Suman and Akhilesh Singh of the SP claimed the Mayawati government had committed contempt of court by evicting the SP’s youth wing from its base. As they chorused on, Rashid Alvi of the BSP decided he’d take the initiative to instruct the Speaker on the art of conducting the business of the House.

The Speaker appeared to have been forewarned what was coming as he allowed Alvi to make his intervention, by saying, ‘‘you can make a statement that this is all wrong, that’s all.’’ That was certainly not all as far as Alvi was concerned. He told Joshi: ‘‘You must counsel all the MPs on how the Lok Sabha is run. The House should be conducted by you, not by anyone else.’’ Never mind that Joshi’s orders to him to conclude went unheeded.

Jaitley, himself a lawyer, mostly sought to agree with the members. He said the present system was leading to delay in appointment of judges.

Asking Parliament to play a pro-active role in making judiciary accountable Kapil Sibal, another lawyer-member, said: ‘‘The House should lift the protective veil on the conduct of judges which does not form part of their duties.’’ He suggested that the Government should conduct an inquiry into the appointments of judges since 1993 — when the collegium of chief justices virtually became the appointing authority for the judges — be probed. The inquiry should bring out as to how many relatives, former juniors of high court judges ‘‘who had filed their IT returns,’’ had been appointed.

As outpourings against the judiciary grew, Jaitley was seen consulting members and the Chair. It’s unusual that a private members’ resolution provokes such a serious debate. When members threw caution to the winds and named some of the former chief justices as corrupt, chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat expunged these names.