Venkaiah Naidu expresses concern over growing pendency of cases

New Delhi: Mounting pendency of cases from the Supreme Court to the lower courts has Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu worried as he expressed concern on the issue.

Naidu also urged the government and the judiciary to ensure faster justice. He was addressing the Platinum Jubilee meet of Dr B.R. Ambedkar College of Law, Andhra University on the occasion of its 76th Foundation Day.

Naidu underscored the need to make delivery of justice speedier and affordable. Citing adjournment of cases over long periods, he observed that justice was becoming costly and referred to the well-known proverb "justice delayed is justice denied".

"There is also a need to make the delivery of justice speedier and affordable. The legal profession must continue to address this issue collectively," he said.

In a significant statement, the Vice President remarked that Public Interest Litigations (PILs) should not become private interest litigations for personal, pecuniary and political interests.

Asking the law students to be the voice of the voiceless and to use their legal knowledge to empower the marginalised people, he advised them to take up legal aid for the poor as a commitment. He also told the budding lawyers to nurture professionalism and ethical conduct, while being fearless and fair when it comes to discharging their duties.

"Fight injustice wherever it exists and in whichever manner it is perpetuated", he added.

Highlighting the need to avoid ambiguity while drafting laws, the Vice President said laws should be simple and uncomplicated. The focus should not only be on the letter but also on the spirit of the law and the intent behind our laws. "The intent and purpose of the law must be very clear", he added.

Observing that lawyers are capable of bringing about great social transformation, the Vice President said that as a society evolves, so must its laws. "We must constantly introspect and scrutinise our laws from the prism of justice, fairness, equity, compassion and humanity and must continually reform and update our laws, rules and regulations", he added.

Calling for an all-round effort to improve our justice system, Naidu stressed on the need to continually improve the legal infrastructure and access to justice, especially for the common man.

"A vast majority of our laws and regulations are still illegible to the ordinary citizen. Here comes the importance of expanding the reach of legal literacy and the need to simplify our laws and rules. I appreciate the government for scrapping several redundant and obsolete laws," he said.

Referring to the New Education Policy, he stressed the need to impart basic primary and upper primary education in the mother tongue. "I go a step further, in due course of time, we must strive hard to see that in all our systems and public life mother tongue must be used, practiced and propagated. Whether it is education, whether it is governance or whether it is judiciary, people must be able to speak, argue and write in their mother tongue so that they are able to express freely".

Paying rich tributes to the founder of the College -- Dr C.R. Reddy, Naidu recalled his student days and said that his time at the college laid strong foundations for his political and public life.