State needs law varsity: Justice Oka

State should become No 1 in terms of judicial infrastructure, says the SC judge

Maharashtra needs a separate law university on the lines of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Justice Abhay S Oka of the Supreme Court said on Thursday. Speaking at a conference organized by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa and the Thane District Courts Bar Association, he also said that financial constraints should not come in the way of the improvement of judicial infrastructure in the country. “Maharashtra needs a law university,” he said, citing the examples of such specialized varsities in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Lawyers Academy set up by the Bar Council was a good initiative, Justice Oka noted.

Maharashtra should become the number one state in the country in terms of judicial infrastructure, he said. The finance departments of the states should change their attitude while sanctioning funds for improvement of judicial infrastructure, he said. Access to justice is a fundamental right of citizens, and financial constraints cannot be the reason for not ensuring this right, Justice Oka said.

Speaking in Marathi, he noted that the state government had issued a notification in 1998 that functioning of courts up to the district level should be carried out in Marathi, but it was not implemented. Why should Maharashtra, which has produced some of the best lawyers and judges, should lag behind in terms of infrastructure, Justice Oka wondered.

Of 48 Chief Justices of the apex court, nine were from Maharashtra and of 15 Attorney Generals five were from the state, he pointed out. He also praised the building management system at taluka courts in Karnataka.