delhi

Updated: Dec 25, 2018 13:11 IST

Union law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said he wanted fast-tracking of the hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute before the Supreme Court.

Prasad, who was speaking at the 15th National Conference of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad in Lucknow, pitched for an early hearing of the Ayodhya title suit, now pending in the apex court for eight years. Similarly, the minister said civil and criminal cases pending in various courts for the past 10 years should also be decided under the monitoring of the chief justice.

Like civil services, the minister advocated the formation of an All India Judicial Service System for appointment of efficient and competent judges. “From 1950 till 1993 when the collegium system was introduced, the appointment of judges was done by the central government and the union law minister. Can an honest judge be appointed by a prime minister?” the minister asked the audience.

Highlighting the efforts made by the Narendra Modi government to enhance access to justice for citizens, the union law minister appealed to the lawyers to do their bit in helping those who could not afford lawyers’ fee in getting justice. He also spoke at length on the government’s educational and welfare initiative for women, including steps on triple ‘talaq’ (divorce), beti bachao, beti padhao campaign. Besides Justice MR Shah, chief justice of Allahabad high court Justice Govind Mathur, Justice AR Masudi, UP law minister Brajesh Pathak, several other legal luminaries and senior advocates were present at the event.