'People Responsible For Delivering Justice Failing To Do Their Job': Rijiju Slams Judiciary, Top Lawyers
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that some lawyers are occupying the judicial system and deliberately delaying the justice delivery process.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday intensified his attack on the judicial system, saying that justice was being delayed in the country due to the lackadaisical attitude of a few lawyers and judges. He said he is often approached by people who say that justice is being delayed and urge him to expedite the justice delivery process.
“It is the job of every organ of a democracy — be it the judiciary, Parliament or the bureaucracy. Many people complain that their cases have been pending in courts for 10-15 years. In these cases, are we actually doing justice to them,” he asked.
“Sometimes judges don’t have time, sometimes lawyers don’t present the cases well... Some lawyers keep on asking for dates and some judges even give them. So, people responsible for delivering justice aren't able to do so. Justice shouldn't be delayed,” Rijiju said at the 16th National Conference of Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad in Haryana.
“If we shed this attitude and strive to deliver justice at the earliest, the pendency of nearly 5 crore cases in the country will come down. But if we are entangled in the system, we wouldn’t be able to deliver justice. Justice delayed is justice denied,” Rijiju said.
He further said that some lawyers charge exorbitantly for each appearance in court while some don’t even have work. He further pointed out that some lawyers get hearing dates as soon as the petitions are filed while others have long waits. “There are some lawyers in Supreme Court who get hearing dates immediately [after filing petitions] and others who assure you of a win. Some lawyers charge Rs 30-40 lakh for one appearance, while some don't have work. Why is it so? Provisions of the law are the same for everybody,” Rijiju said.
He also raised instances of some lawyers who earned in crores during Covid by appearing in multiple virtual hearings simultaneously. “Some lawyers got so many cases that they had to set up multiple screens and appeared simultaneously in different cases. This even irked judges. It would have been alright had people gone to them as they are good. But people went to them because they had connections, and they can fix their clients’ cases. This is an extremely sad state of affairs,” Rijiju said.
He urged senior lawyers to give junior advocates opportunities and teach them tricks of the trade as well. “Do not take over the field. Give others a chance. Those who appear in the SC can also appear in lower courts. It won’t lower your stature. No court is big or small. Only the appeal process follows a hierarchy. Unfortunately, some lawyers do not share this sentiment,” he said.
He added that the courts managed to deal with a huge volume of cases during the pandemic only because the Modi government provided them with infrastructure, like those for virtual hearings. “We have done so much for the judiciary, but we are often accused of trying to control the judiciary,” he said.
Last month, interacting on a television news channel, Rijiju appeared to defend the government and blame the judiciary instead for the delay in the passage of files. The Indian Express quoted the Union law minister as saying during the interview: “Never say that the government is sitting on the files. Then don’t send the files to the government. You appoint yourself, you run the show then”.
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