Pending criminal cases to be fast-tracked: Moily

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All criminal cases pending before lower courts across the country will be fast-tracked within the next three months, Union Law Minister M. Verappa Moily said here Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Moily said: ‘Things are already in the process and the union government has given away a sum of Rs.20,000 crore to different states to ensure timely completion of all work to have all the systems in place to give the courts a new shape with modern equipment and systems.’

‘Our target is to ensure that no criminal case remains pending before any court for a period of more than three years and corruption related cases are disposed within six months,’ he said.

There are over 2.5 crore court cases pending at various levels across the country.

Asked if the government has plans to bring in any legislation for forfeiture of ill-gotten wealth of public servants, he said: ‘We are already in the process of preparing a bill to empower the government to seize not only unlawfully earned money but also forfeit ‘benami’ property.’

Claiming that the United Progressive Alliance government was determined to root out corruption from the country, Moily said: ‘Our aim is to completely eradicate corruption.’

‘After having successfully implemented the right to information and right to education in the country, we are now committed to providing the right to justice to the people,’ he said.

According to him, ‘this includes setting up village level courts, legislation of gender neutral laws to remove anti-women prejudices inherent in certain laws as also promotion of uniform legal education’.

Asked to comment on the rising incidence of alleged corruption in the higher judiciary, the minister said: ‘A new judicial standards and accountability bill that has been duly introduced in parliament would surely go a long way in curbing corruption.’

Moily declined to comment on the controversy surrounding Chief Vigilance Commissioner P.J. Thomas on the plea that the matter was pending before court.

1 COMMENT

  1. Its a welcome move and one which would ensure speedy justice. However, it would be very necessary to have competent Magistrates, Session Judges. The breed of present PPs too needs to be upgraded. 90% of PPs dont understand English.

    Its great to uplift the down trodden, Scs, Sts etc. But we have to be a bit careful when we need a good understanding to interpret our Laws.

    Its high time the Law Ministry did something substantial so as to ensure that the litigant/complainant reposes faith in the depleted Judiciary.

    Its also very necessary for the Government to ensure that Political clout/ Power does not in any way hamper or interfere with the Judiciary.

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