PV Narasimha Rao father of economic reforms in India: CJI Ramana
Hyderabad, Aug 20: Describing former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao as the father of economic reforms in the country, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Friday said that dispute resolution though negotiations and mediation is part of Indian culture.
Speaking at the Registration of Trust Deeds of the International Arbitration and mediation Centre here, Justice Ramana said the city is well placed to have an international arbitration centre and the cost of dispute resolution through the centre would be much cheaper when compared to other countries.
"You know the father of the economic reforms in the country is none other than P V Narsimha Rao, Telangana Bidda (son of Telangana). Under his leadership, in India for the first time economic reforms started," the CJI said.
"This (arbitration and mediation) is not a new thing that we innovated. You know that in Indian culture we sort out all our disputes through mediation and negotiation and conciliation. Every day we negotiate with our children, brothers and friends," he said.
Supreme Court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao and former SC Judge justice Ravindra will be the life Trustees of the Arbitration Centre here and they will co-opt some more members in future, Justice Ramana said.
He said earlier foreign investors were apprehensive about the time taken for dispute resolution process in the Indian judiciary and added that after the Arbitration and Conciliation Act came into being in 1996, the momentum has started for out of court procedures.
He asked the state government and Telangana High Court Chief Justice Hima Kohli to encourage companies to settle their disputes through arbitration and mediation.
He said the centre here should become an internationally acclaimed one in dispute resolution.
The CJI thanked Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for acting quickly on his proposal and making necessary arrangements for starting the Centre.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SC expresses disappointment over non-production of witnesses in trial
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday expressed disappointment over the non-production of witnesses in the ongoing trial against Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, and others in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the status report filed before it by the Uttar Pradesh government has not assigned any reason whatsoever for the non-production of witnesses.
It noted that no witnesses have been examined in the trial for the last two months.
"We direct the presiding judge to take lawful measures to secure the presence of witnesses," the bench said.
It asked the trial judge to make an endeavour to conclude the trial in a time-bound manner, and also to file a status report before it.
The trials in two cases related to the incident are going on before a court in Uttar Pradesh.
The bench noted that in the first case, out of 131 witnesses to be examined, 44 have been examined, 15 have been discharged and 72 are still to be produced.
In the second FIR, out of 35 witnesses, 26 have been examined and nine were left, it said.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ashish Mishra, said that as per the latest status report filed by Uttar Pradesh, 44 witnesses have been examined so far in the first FIR.
"No witnesses have been examined in the last two months," Dave said.
He argued that the last status report filed by the state in March also said that 44 witnesses had been examined.
"What have you done from March till today?" the bench asked the counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh.
The state's counsel said that 3-4 witnesses were summoned for the recording of their deposition during the trial.
The bench said at least 7-8 witnesses should be summoned instead of three or four for a day, so that even if some of them do not turn up, the trial court could proceed with the recording of statements of those appearing before it.
The top court also wondered how official witnesses can remain absent during the trial.
"We are disappointed to note that the so-called status report does not assign any reason whatsoever for non-production of witnesses...," the bench said.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the relatives of the farmers who were allegedly mowed down in the incident, said the apex court will have to do something regarding the manner in which the trial was going on.
The bench noted that besides the two FIRs, another FIR was registered in October last year concerning alleged witness intimidation.
It said that, as per the state's status report, the chargesheet was filed against the main accused in that case.
The bench noted that the status report reveals that, as far as Ashish Mishra is concerned, his alleged role in the third case is still being investigated.
The top court directed the investigating officer of the third case to conclude the pending probe and ensure that the appropriate report is filed before the concerned court within four weeks.
The bench posted the next hearing in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case for July.
On October 3, 2021, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district during a protest by farmers against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.
Four farmers were mowed down by a sports utility vehicle. A driver and two BJP workers were then allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.
In one of the cases, the trial court in December 2023 framed charges against Mishra and 12 others for alleged murder, criminal conspiracy and under other penal laws in the case of the farmers' deaths, paving the way for the trial.
