SHILLONG, NOV 1: The 12-member Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) has recommended to the Meghalaya government to set up a State Judicial Academy (SJA) for strengthening the tribal customary laws and justice delivery system.
To strengthen this process, Dr EMS Natchiappan, also a Rajya Sabha MP s and PSC chairman aid, “The committee feels that there should be a state judicial academy (SJA) in Meghalaya.” He said the PSC want to initiate the process in the 13th Finance Commission itself or in the 14th Finance Commission. He informed that committee has already recommended this in states like Assam and Sikkim under 13th Finance Commission.
The members of PSC has also convened meeting with the Bar Association of Meghalaya High Court and district councils (courts) representing various districts besides the law secretary of the Meghalaya government and registrar of High Court.
“We have also met the Governor and Chief Minister and we could get very excellent growth of the tribal law system and tribal justice system,” the chairman stated.
He informed that state judicial academy will provide in-service training to subordinate judicial officers of the High Court in order to improve the quality of judicial performance by helping the Judges to acquire the tools for professional competence.
Stating that Meghalaya now have its own High Court, Dr Natchiappan said, “When we are starting a new high court, its role is to bring very dynamic subordinate judiciary that will go down to the grassroot level,” adding “Through the training, we want to synthesize the systems so that the tribal law gets more focus in the system of justice.”
Dr Natchiappan said that the National Judicial Academy (NJA) has the mandate of giving in-service training to the subordinate judicial officers that is judges.
He also informed that the Committee has also recommended the need to increase the number of judges in the High Court as there are 50 per cent vacancies available.
The chairman also informed that recently the parliament has enacted the law known as Judicial Appointment Commission Act 2014, which is now going through the process of getting the rectification by the state assemblies.
“If this Act comes then the process of appointments and filling up the vacancies in the high courts will be very quick,” he said.- By Our Reporter
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