Karnataka Dy CM blames BJP for MLAs' resignation; former CM Siddaramaiah supports claim
Bengaluru, Jul 2: A day after two Congress MLAs tendered their resignations, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara Tuesday sought to blame the BJP for the development and said a cabinet sub-committee has been formed to look into the issue of land to JSW Steel as flagged by one of the legislators.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah also came out and lashed out at the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that the duo were directly involved in the resignation of the two Congress MLAs and blamed them for the current political scenario in the state.
In a setback to the 13-month-old JD(S)-Congress government, the grand old party's Vijayanagar MLA Anand Singh and rebel legislator Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has been sulking ever since he was dropped from the cabinet last year, sent their resignations to the Assembly speaker.
Singh, a former BJP member who joined the Congress ahead of the May 2018 assembly elections, resigned citing a number of issues, including the decision to sell land to JSW Steel in mineral-rich Ballari district.
The deputy chief minister told reporters, "If land to JSW Steel was an issue then he should have spoken to us. We have constituted a cabinet sub-committee. It has to submit a report to the cabinet."
He, however, clarified that he had not spoken to the two MLAs.
Singh, to a question whether he would withdraw the resignation, had Monday said he would "wait for answers" from the government to his demands.
Parameshwara, a senior Congress leader, blamed the BJP for the present political scenario in the state, alleging that it was 'pressuring' the party MLAs.
"The information we have is that Anand Singh had met some BJP leaders. It means the BJP leaders might have pressured him. Ramesh Jarkiholi has been repeatedly saying he was in touch with the BJP leaders... It is a well known fact that BJP has pressured them," he said.
BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa rejected the allegations and accused the Congress of trying to divert attention from the dissidence it faced.
Meanwhile, state Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, told reporters in Kolar, that Jarkiholi had neither met him to handover his resignation nor spoken to him.
On Singh's resignation, he said it has been received and he would take further action according to rules once he returns.
"No one has sought time from me for meeting, I have not given time to any one," Kumar said.
Jarkiholi had Monday told a local TV channel that he was in Mumbai and had sent his resignation letter through fax and he would personally give it to the Speaker Tuesday. Reports said Jarkiholi is expected to meet the Speaker Wednesday.
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Justice Nagarathna calls for creation of judicial reforms commission to reduce pendency in courts
Bengaluru (PTI): Justice B V Nagarathna of the Supreme Court on Saturday called for the creation of a judicial reforms commission to reduce mounting pendency in the courts, saying systemic incentives across stakeholders were contributing to delays in justice delivery.
She was speaking at the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) first National Conference on the theme "Reimagining judicial governance: strengthening institutions for democratic justice" here.
Nagarathna, who was part of the panel session addressing "From Pendency to Prompt Justice: Rethinking Justice Delivery in Indian Courts," said, this reforms commission must have membership not only from the judiciary of the Supreme Court, the High Court, as well as the District judiciary, but also have members from the Bar, Attorney General, Solicitor General, and also certain members representing the Bar at the institutional level, such as the Bar President, and from the government side to enable an inter-institutional dialogue on reducing pendency.
She reflected that, from the point of view of various stakeholders, a litigant gains from the status quo, to proceed to prolong proceedings.
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"A lawyer or an advocate loves adjournments and postponement because he/she benefits from per appearance and extended timelines. A government department reduces bureaucratic risk by appealing rather than accepting defeat.
"A judge, and particularly a trial judge, is always acting with caution because he/she is confronted with appellate reversal, and therefore he/she prefers procedural caution rather than having an aggressive docket control. Each of these decisions is individually rational, but how does it help the system? It is only leading to systemic delay," she added.
In order to break this equilibrium, Justice Nagarathna said that what is required is institutional interventions through a judicial commission to reduce pendency, rather than merely exhorting better conduct from judges, adherence to procedural timelines, asking advocates not to seek adjournments, urging the government to reduce litigation, or expecting courts to function round the clock and judges not to take leave.
On pendency, the judge questioned the inclusion of defective filings in court statistics, suggesting that such cases should not be counted until they are procedurally ready for hearing.
She also underlined the role of the government as the "largest generator of litigation", noting that officials tend to file appeals to avoid scrutiny, even in cases where disputes could be settled earlier. This, she said, results in cases travelling through multiple judicial levels unnecessarily.
"The government publicly expresses concern about judicial backlog, while simultaneously feeding that backlog through relentless litigation," she observed.
Justice Nagarathna further claimed judicial capacity is constrained by inadequate public investment, including delays in appointment of judges, lack of infrastructure and insufficient use of technology.
Among the measures suggested, she called for improved case management, curbs on unnecessary adjournments, adoption of technology, prioritisation of cases, promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and creation of specialised benches.
She also urged advocates to adhere to professional and ethical standards, litigants to avoid frivolous appeals, and the government to adopt a practical litigation policy and ensure timely funding and appointments in the judiciary.
