IJS Imperative For High-Quality Judiciary: Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party national president Dr Jayaprakash Narayan said today that the constitution of an Indian Judicial Service (IJS) is imperative if the judiciary is to attract the best and the brightest, and offer services of the highest standards.

In a media statement, Dr JP pointed out that makers of the Constitution, in their wisdom, had provided for the formation of the IJS, along the lines of other all-India services like the IAS and the IPS. The Supreme Court too on many occasions has underlined that the constitution of an IJS has been long overdue.

Dr JP reminded that at the initiative of the Lok Satta, three eminent jurists of impeccable integrity and credibility - Justice M N Venkatachalaiah, Justice J S Varma and Justice V R Krishna Iyer - had studied the subject in depth, and had unanimously recommended the constitution of a National Judicial Commission and an Indian Judicial Service.

There is broad consensus among all mainstream political parties on the need for an IJS, said Dr JP, and added that the new service would go a long way in promoting national integration. Once the IJS is constituted, it will provide a pool of talent for recruitment to higher judiciary in course of time, he suggested.

Dr JP trashed apprehensions among certain quarters that the IJS will be ineffective since its members, recruited on an all-India basis, will not have knowledge of the local language, history and customs. If IAS and IPS officials, recruited on an all-India basis, interact with people on a daily basis and render high quality services, there is no reason to doubt that judicial officers confined mostly to their chambers cannot do justice to their job, he insisted. Learning of the local language can form part of the training for judicial officers, just like in the case of IAS and IPS officials, he said.

Dr. JP appealed to all political parties and young law graduates to come together, and ensure that IJS becomes a reality without further delay. (INN)