Need for new Supreme Court benches stressed

Basheerabagh: Speaking at a seminar held on the topic, 'Establishing Supreme Court bench for South India,' held at Nizam Law College here on Friday, speakers stressed the need to end north India's domination over judiciary system.

Speaking at the seminar, chairman of South India Advocates Association Gali Vinod Kumar said that south Indians are facing discrimination in the appointments of judges and chief judges. It is unfortunate that despite the recommendations of Law Commission of India to establish a separate Supreme Court bench for south India in 2009, the central government has not taken the matter seriously, so far.

The nation as big as India requires at least four Supreme Court benches, he said. As many as 2, 63,000 cases are still pending in Supreme Court and the establishment of new benches will help in speedy clearance of the pending cases, he said.

South Indians and people of Northeast cannot afford to go to New Delhi for justice, he said. Vinod demanded equal priority be given to all the regions of the nation in the judiciary system. As suggested by Dr BR Ambedkar, Hyderabad can be made the second capital of India, he said. He warned of agitations if South India is not represented equally in the judicial recruitments.