Guwahati: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that justice should not only be delivered in time but must also be accessible to the most marginalised of the society and underlined the role lawyers can play in ensuring this.
He said there is an urgent need to review the judicial system taking into account current shortcomings, future needs and changing times.
The President said, “Historically, the focus of judicial reform has been the judiciary. The lawyer – a basic pillar of the judicial system has often been ignored. Legal education and continuing professional development must create a socially sensitive lawyer of conscience, for whom justice delayed is not a commercial opportunity but a blemish on one’s professional persona and a failure of the system of which one is an integral part. The ideal Indian lawyer must not only have excellent legal skills, but also embody social responsibility and strong professional ethics. The efficacy of the rule of law depends to a large extent on the integrity of lawyers who are the link between the citizen and the system of justice.”
The President was here to inaugurate a two-day closing ceremony of golden jubilee celebration of Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim as well as two national seminars on ‘Continuing Legal Education’ and ‘Children and Law’ at the same function, which will be held on the second day of the celebration on Wednesday.
The President said, “The first generation of judicial reforms in our country established the National Law Schools and have demonstrated that India can have institutions that impart affordable but world class legal education. The second generation of reforms should now focus on Continuing Legal Education of lawyers, judges, judicial officers, bureaucrats and academics.
“There is need for Seminars, Conferences, lectures etc., to be organized in a systematic manner, first making Continuing Legal Education accessible for all and then perhaps, making it mandatory as is the practice in many countries of the world. Establishing a comprehensive system of Continuing Legal Education will enhance professionalism, accountability and public respect for lawyers. It would be also useful in this regard for the Bar Council of India to consider setting up a world class institution for Continuing Legal Education similar to the National Law Schools.
The President said, “The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, Act, 2012 (POCSO) is one of the most recent initiatives for protection of children from any form of sexual abuse. There was a felt need for such legislation as statistics revealed that sexual crimes against children were steadily increasing.”
Mukherjee expressed serious concern at rising crimes against children, especially criminal offences. Quoting statistics, the President said, “Number of minors raped has been rising in the last six year and it reached 8541 in 2012.”
Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court AM Sapre, in his speech, highlighted the role of bar councils and lawyers in ensuring that justice prevails above all other considerations.