ARUN JAITLEY TAKES OVER AS
UNION LAW MINISTER
Shri Arun Jaitley
assumed the office of the Union Minister of Law and Justice this
morning here today. Secretaries and senior officials of the three
Departments of Legal Affairs, Legislative and Justice alognwith
other senior officials met the Minister and apprised him of the
latest policy dimensions in each of the three Departments. The
Minister picked up the thread left by him on July 1, 2002 when
he demitted his office last as the Union Minister of Law, Justice
and Company Affairs.
Later, talking to
the media persons the Law Minister listed the priorities of the
Government and said that the two prong changes in the worldwide
economy and technology impacted laws and in that context his Ministry
would be setting in motion the process of adjusting Indian laws
in keeping with the global changes as also making new laws to
give impetus to various reforms including the second generation
economic reforms. In the area of justice, the Judicial Administration
would be spruced up to provide cost effective, expeditious and
time bound justice delivery system, he added.
As for the proposed
National Judicial Commission, the Law Minister said that the good
work done by his predecessor Shri K. Jana Krishnamurthi in this
regard would be carried forward to evolve consensus of political
parties for setting up of the proposed Commission. In the area
of the efficacy of Permanent Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute
resolution system and the resistance of the Bar Council of India,
the Minister said that a Committee appointed by the Supreme Court
was seized of the matter and any suggestion of the Bar Council
in this regard was welcome. The Minister said that Permanent Lok
Adalats were a forum of cost effective, time bound and efficacious
disputes resolution system and people were free to resort to this
or the existing judicial system.
Regarding a question
on changes, if any, in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA),
Shri Jaitley ruled out any further change stating that it was
a legal instrument against terrorism and the judiciary was there
to take care of misuse of POTA by official machinery.
