AMN / NEW DELHI
President of India Ram Nath Kovind has urged the legal fraternity to provide free legal services to the poor. Inaugurating a two-day conference on National Law Day celebrations here today, Mr Kovind said, India has an expensive legal system due to the delay in the delivery of justice and the financial constraints in justice delivery system violates the constitutional values and republican ethic.
He appealed legal fraternity, lawyers and advocates and the Bar Associations to find a way to remove such constraints. He said, it is a burden on the collective conscience.
Mr Kovind said, upgrading human resources in the judiciary especially in the lower judiciary is the need of the hour. He said, access to justice to common people is a must and judiciary should be responsive. Mr Kovind said, judicial fraternity should think of disposal of civil applications without a lawyer.
The President noted, the public life is a glass house and there is a relentless demand for transparency and scrutiny. He said, the judiciary, the executive and the legislature should be the models of good conduct.
He said, to decongest the statute books and promote ease of governance, the government has identified around 1800 laws that require to be removed from the statute books. In the past three years Parliament has repealed about 1200 obsolete and unnecessary laws.
On the occasion, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, protection of fundamental rights of the citizens is the sacrosanct duty of judiciary. He said, there is a need to defend the country’s constitution and India must be known for its quality governance. The Chief Justice said, if people ignore Constitution and Constitutional spirit, the society will decay. Mr Misra said, institutional cultivation and acceptance is must.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Law and Justice P P Chaudhary said, if the courts are not perceived to be a true course of recourse, the society will suffer. He said, to reduce judicial delays, reform is required. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory session of the conference tomorrow.