Legal reforms missing from election manifestos, rues Supreme Court judge

Justice J Chelameswar of the Supreme Court today rued that legal reforms never find a place in the election manifestos of the political parties. "Promises for development are made. Promises of freebies like laptops, cell phones or even buffaloes are made, but no party has ever made a promise to improve the legal system," Justice Chelameswar said during the function to mark the golden jubilee of Bar Council of India here.

He said that pendency (of large number of cases) was the biggest issue before the court and held the political leaders responsible for the situation "as they are the policy-makers." "I may sound harsh, but as our legal system has been losing standard, there is a thorough need to make qualitative and quantitative improvements," he said.

Expressing his views, fellow Supreme Court judge Justice S J Mukhopadhyay stressed on the need for allocating more money for judicial system and welfare schemes for junior lawyers. "Why cannot we make a welfare scheme specially for young lawyers? Provident Fund schemes can be made. Why only senior advocates are given the benefits of financial aid after their death, juniors should also be considered," he said.

"You (advocates) can sense the future and you people can also sense what will happen in 2014. Why schemes are not made for the advocates and judicial employees? Please do something. People who are in power or people who will be in power... do something," he said, apparently referring to BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendar Modi, who was present. "Tomorrow's judge will come from today's lawyers. You will not get good judges if such a state continues," the judge said.