Indian judicial system did not change since the colonial times, reforms required : Economist Sanjeev Sanyal

New Delhi – Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, and a well-known economist, emphasised the necessity of modernising the judiciary, stating that failure to do so would impede the country’s economic, social, and national progress. He has also called for a change in the collegium system, which currently enables Supreme Court judges to appoint and transfer judges in the High Courts and the Supreme Court. Sanyal has also advocated reforms in the bureaucracy during his interview with Prachyam, a YouTube Channel.

Sanyal added,

1. We will have to change the justice system. Think about this ‘tareekh pe tareekh’ system. What is this ? We say this is from the colonial time. For seventy-five years we have had the same system.

2. High Courts and Supreme Courts take summer vacation, Dussehra vacation and Christmas vacation again. Judges work only a few hours. All these old systems have to be changed and modernized.

3. The method of appointment of judges needs to be reformed. In today’s collegium system, it is the judges who decide who will be the next judge following nepotism and favouritism. Judges should be appointed on merit.

4. A modern judiciary has to be created, otherwise judges will continue to be addressed as ‘My lord’ or ‘Your lord’ in the Courts.

5. The government alone cannot do much about this. This should be discussed in the whole society. There should be a public debate on how our judicial system will be implemented in a new way.