Implementation of the three new criminal laws will be the top priority, said Arjun Ram Meghwal, stalwart leader from Rajasthan, who took charge as the Minister of State (MoS) with (independent charge) for law and justice in the Modi 3.0 cabinet on Tuesday.
Meghwal signed his first file related to the National Litigation Policy. When asked about the ‘One Nation One Poll’ plan, he said, “The report is with the President of India. More would be shared when the President takes a view.”
In his previous tenure of over a year, Meghwal, who had replaced Kiren Rijiju on May 18 last year, acted as a bridge between the executive and the judiciary. His appointment also gave a push to judicial appointments and various new schemes to make justice accessible for all. One such example is the Government of India’s Nyaya Bandhu (Pro-Bono Legal Services) scheme which aims to provide a framework for Pro Bono Legal Services to advance the culture of pro bono in the country.
Not only government policies, Meghwal’s term also saw the passing of various significant laws, including the Women’s Reservation Act, the law on appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, and three new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — among others.
The Modi 2.0 cabinet had also sanctioned an amount of over Rs 800 crore for the expansion of the Supreme Court building.
Speaking at the 75th year celebration of the Supreme Court, PM Narendra Modi, in January, had said, “My government is determined and committed to improving the infrastructure in the courts. My government is aware of the problems faced by lawyers and litigants in the present Supreme Court. Last week, we sanctioned Rs 800 crore for expansion of the Supreme court and improving facilities.”
On the occasion, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud had said that the new building “would be a symbol of emerging India”. “We want to create facilities within the new building while we are creating a futuristic building which would be there for 75 or 100 years. The building will be completely technology friendly to make life easier for citizens,” he had said.
Justice Chandrachud, while speaking to CNN-News18 exclusively, had emphasised that the new building will be designed keeping stakeholder access in mind.
KEY CHALLENGES AHEAD
However, this second term as the MoS (independent charge) law and justice might not be a cakewalk as Meghwal will have to keep that healthy relationship going, while addressing some age-old and new challenges.
The issue of vacancies at higher judiciary (Supreme Court and High Court), pendency of cases and finalising the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) are some of the key challenges.
As per the data available on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), more than 4.48 crore cases are pending across the country, with more than one lakh cases pending for more than 30 years.
As of June 1, while there are two vacancies in the Supreme Court, and posts of over 345 judges are vacant in the high courts.
Comments
0 comment