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Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. (File) Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday emphasised the need for coordination between the “executive and judiciary” to ensure effective implementation of laws, and stressed that it hardly matters whether justice is delivered by courts or under the aegis of the executive through mediation, as long as justice is being delivered.
He was speaking at the National Judicial Conference on Mediation and Information Technology at Kevadia Colony in Gujarat’s Narmada district.
Rijiju also spoke on the “urgent need for mediation given the high number of pending cases in courts” and added that the Mediation Bill was before the Parliament Standing Committee of Law and Justice for deliberation.
“When judges sit in court they work independently and when we sit in Parliament, we make laws. And as part of the executive, we are determined on implementation. But if there is a lack of coordination between the executive and judiciary, then implementation will also be difficult. Whether we give justice from courtrooms or we go to someone’s house in a village to give justice, the issue is one – people must get justice,” he said.
“I thus believe there must be teamwork (between executive and judiciary)… Since Chief Justice of India N V Ramana has come to this position (of being elevated as CJI), there has been such great coordination (of the judiciary with the executive),” the minister pointed out.
“We feel the urgent need for mediation given the high number of pending cases from lower courts to SC… The Mediation Bill, which is being introduced in the Parliament is taking a very good shape. We have consulted all stakeholders, in fact, we got some very useful inputs from SC judges, retired judges of SC and HCs, and also consulted with some legal firms and right now the Bill is being referred to the standing committee of Parliament of Law and Justice.”
Stating that mediation has been part of Indian culture and “was there in the days of Ramayan and Mahabharat and is practised widely today in small villages, talukas, in every sphere of life,” Rijiju added that the government’s goal was “to ensure that people should not wait for formal litigation to get justice. Let us explore other means to provide quick justice to the needy people… I also feel that the system which is going on will burden us more and more unless we reform ourselves internally,” he said.
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