CJI: Reform laws to cut judicial interventions
CJI RAMANA WAS EMPHATIC THAT LAWS MUST MATCH WITH PRACTICAL REALITIES
NEW DELHI: The judiciary will not have to step into the shoes of lawmakers only when the legislature revisits laws and reforms them to suit the needs of the time and people, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana said on Saturday.
CJI Ramana was emphatic that laws must match with practical realities, and said it is the duty of the legislature and the executive to do the needful.
“The Legislature needs to revisit the laws and reform them to suit the needs of time and people. I emphasize, our laws must match with our practical realities. The executive has to match these efforts by way of simplifying the corresponding rules. Most importantly, the executive and the legislature should function in unison in realising the constitutional aspirations. It is only then that the Judiciary would not be compelled to step in as a lawmaker and would only be left with the duty of applying and interpreting the same,” CJI Ramana said.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new building of the Odisha State Legal Services Authority at Cuttack, justice Ramana said that the notion about courts making the law requires to be dispelled, but the executive and the legislature need to step up.
“At the end of the day, it is the harmonious functioning of the three organs of the State (legislature, executive and judiciary) that can remove the procedural barriers to justice,” emphasised justice Ramana, adding that the legal framework needs to be drastically altered to make the justice delivery mechanism people friendly.
There have been some recent instances when the tussle between the government and the Supreme Court over legislative exercise has come to fore. The top court had on September 7 and 15 lashed out at the Centre for re-enacting the very same provisions for the administration of tribunals that were struck down by the court in July. It had commented that the Union government has “no respect” for the judgments of the top court and is “bent upon not honouring” the orders of the Supreme Court.