Judges’ Bill: Panel asks Law Ministry to clear stand

On Monday, officials told the committee that the Bill was with the Union Cabinet for consideration.

The Bill provides for establishing a National Judicial Council to undertake preliminary investigation and inquire into allegations of misbehaviour or incapacity of a Judge of the Supreme Court or High Court, as well as regulate the procedure for investigation and inquiry in such cases.

But, so far, except for making tall claims and asking the judiciary to put its house in order, the Law Ministry has refrained from taking any concrete steps to drum up support for the proposed law.

“The committee is perturbed and wanted to know from the Law Ministry if it plans to get the Judges (Inquiry) Bill passed in the coming Session. We told the ministry that the people of the country are expecting the legislature and the executive to do something to restore the confidence of the public in the country’s judicial system,” said Congress MP E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, chairman of the committee.

At a committee meeting, officials from the Ministry were told that with allegations against sitting and retired judges on the rise, it was time Parliament and the executive stepped in.

The committee is said to have cited the example of Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan recommending impeachment of Justice Soumitra Sen, a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court. They also cited the example of the CJI allowing CBI to investigate the case in which the name of a sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court figures apart from the Ghaziabad PF Scam.