A day after the Supreme Court warned it would take action if the transfer and appointment of judges were delayed, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju stated on Saturday that the country will be governed according to the Constitution and the will of the people and that no one can give anyone a warning. The minister made the remarks during the Allahabad High Court Bar Association's sesquicentennial event in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
"Public is 'malik' (master) of this country and we are servants. We all are here for service and the Constitution is our guide.... The country will be governed under the guidance of the Constitution and wishes of the public. Nobody can give warning to anyone," Rijiju was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"Sometimes discussions are held in the country on some matters and in a democracy everyone has the right to express their opinion. But people sitting in responsible positions have to think before saying anything, whether it will benefit the country or not," he said, referring to reported remarks of a Supreme Court bench, as per the PTI report.
The minister was addressing an event on the 150th anniversary of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association here as the chief guest.
According to the report, the minister's remarks were in the context of a remark made by the bench of Justice SK Kaul and AS Oka who on the Centre's delay in clearing the recommendations for the transfer of high court judges said: "Don't make us take a stand which will be very uncomfortable".
The Supreme Court also questioned the government on Saturday about the delay in approving the names of five high court judges who had been proposed for elevation to the Supreme Court. On Sunday, the judges were elevated to the Supreme Court.
The remarks are the latest in a tug-of-war between the judiciary and the president over the selection of Supreme Court and high court judges.
On the status of cases, Minister Rijiju stated, "At present, 4 crores 90 lakh cases are pending in various courts across the country. We are solving this problem."
He stated that, due to a large number of pending cases, the government is preparing to deploy the Legal Information Management System, which would allow a person to obtain information about the status of a case in any high court with a single click.
"Being the largest high court in the country, I wish that the Allahabad High Court should play a leading role in implementing the e-courts project. The government has abolished 1,486 old and outdated laws and the process of removing 65 such laws is going on in the current Parliament session," He stated, according to PTI.
The minister also stated that the Arbitration Bill is nearing completion and that if passed, a parallel court system will be established in the country. Small cases will be decided outside of court through the arbitration system, putting less pressure on courts, he said.
The event was attended by Supreme Court Justices Krishna Murari and Vikram Nath, as well as Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and others.
(With Inputs From PTI)