LAW MINISTER
PRESENTS LAW DAY AWARDS TO EMINENT LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
The
Union Minister of Law and Justice, Shri K. Jana Krishnamurthi
gave away National Law Day Awards to the former Chief Justice
of India Shri Justice A.M. Ahmadi, noted constitutional expert
and Member of Parliament Dr. L.M. Singhvi, former Solicitor General
of India Shri Dipankar P. Gupta, Additional Solicitor General
of India Shri Altaf Ahmed, international arbitration expert Shri
Sarish Zaiwalla, senior advocate Shri P.N. Misra, eminent corporate
lawyer Shri Somabrata Mandal, legal advisor and Joint Secretary
in the Law Ministry Shri B.A. Aggarwal and Bar Council of India
Member Shri Natubhai S. Bhatt at a glittering function to mark
the 53rd Law Day here today.
The
awardees have been selected under the aegis of Indian Council
of Jurists by a distinguished jury that included former Chief
Justice of India, Shri Justice P.N. Bhagwati and presently Chairman,
United Nations Human Rights Committee, Union Minister of State
for Food Processing Industries Shri N.T. Shanmugam and Senior
Central Government Counsel and Vice-Chairman, Bar Council of India
Shri Adish C. Aggarwala. These awards are given annually to eminent
legal luminaries on the Law Day.
Speaking
on the occasion, the Union Law Minister Shri Jana Krishnamurthi
congratulated the recipients and hoped that such awards would
continue to rekindle people’s abiding faith in the Constitution
of India and the rule of law.
Later,
addressing Harish Chandra Memorial Lectures on Justice for All
to mark the Law Day, which was inaugurated by the former Prime
Minister Shri H.D.Deve Gowda, the Law Minister Shri K. Jana Krishnamurthi
called upon the lawyers and the judges to set high standards in
life to ensure that justice was not only done but seen to be done
to all people of India equally and alike. He said that in the
area of criminal justice for every crime or offence committed
in the country, only ten per cent was reported with the police
of which ten per cent was reported to the courts for want of investigations
and out of that only ten per cent got convicted. The Minister
called upon the legal fraternity to take steps to instill confidence
in the people about the efficacy of our justice delivery system.
The
former Chief Justice of India Shri Justice A.M. Ahmadi called
upon the judiciary and the lawyers to endeavour to deliver justice
to all with despatch and within reasonable time. He also suggested
systematic changes and a blue print for that. The Member Law Commission
Dr. N.M. Ghatate suggested undoing the imbalance in the present
criminal justice delivery system which was accused centric and
not victim centric.
The
Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Shri N.T. Shanmugam
said that the Constitution of India protected all citizens by
postulating justice for all citizens.
The
messages of the Vice President Shri Bhairo Singh Shekhavat and
the Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee mentioning constitutional
postulates of equality, justice and fraternity for all citizens
to ensure justice for all were read out on the occasion.
