Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Pics by Prajwal Ukkuda
Mangalore, Aug 11: M Veerappa Moily, union minister for law and justice, announced that special measures would soon be initiated to clear off a backlog of around four crore cases that are pending disposal in various courts in the country. He made this announcement, while delivering the valedictory address of the birth centenary celebrations of Muggaguttu K Elyanna Poojary, who had been an accomplished lawyer, at the Town Hall here on Monday August 10.
"To draft suitable plans of action towards this end, a national conference of legal experts and judges would be held on August 29 and 30, where deliberations will be held to reduce the average number of years required to dispose off cases from the current 15 to two years. Not less than two lac crore rupees is being lost by way of legal procedures like adjournments, stay orders, civil and criminal cases, bribery cases, public interest litigations etc. To save the money being drained away in this way, there is an emergent need to revolutionize the justice delivery system," he opined.
Moily divulged that a proposal to set up law academies at the district level is before the union government, to ensure that the lawyers get up to date information about the latest changes in law and other prevalent practices. The accountability on the part of judiciary is also of paramount importance towards the fast-paced progress of the country as a whole, he opined. He felt that there is a need to review certain pre-independence laws, as imbibing laws that are fortified by the Indian principles have the potential of strengthening the democratic set up. For this purpose, the central government proposes to set up advanced legal study research centres at the regional levels, he revealed.
"The judiciary has a major role to play, to ensure that the constitutional rights of the legislature, executive and the judiciary are protected. The responsibility with which an institution functions, results in the faith of the people in that institution or sector. For achieving national integration, we have to achieve financial and educational equality. For this, the constitutional commitment should flow through our veins," Moily stressed.
On this occasion, he dedicated his success in his professional life, to his mentor in the legal profession, Elyanna Poojary, while he gave full credit to his achievement in the field of poetry, to Ravichandra Shetty Moodbidri. He also felt that a proposal mooted by the people to set up an institution dedicated to legal matters, in the name of the late Elyappa Poojary, is justified and relevant.
On this occasion, he honoured advocates K Purushottam Poojary, who is the president of the Centenary Celebrations Committee, M Srinivas Jain and M B Muliya, who had worked as junior lawyers under Elyanna Poojary. Beltangady MLA K Vasant Bangera was present.