NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUG 15
Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramanna on Sunday criticised the lack of quality debates in Parliament, calling it a “sorry state of affairs”.
“Now it is a sorry state of affairs (on Parliament debate). The laws have a lot of ambiguity. And the courts do not know the object and intent behind enacting of law,” CJI said.
He termed parliamentary debates after independence as very illuminating. “If you see debates which used to take place in Houses in those days, they used to be very wise, constructive,” he added.
He said there is a lack of quality debate in Parliament while enacting laws which leads to litigations. “It seems that there is a lack of quality debate in Parliament while enacting laws. This leads to a lot of litigation & the courts, in the absence of quality debate, are unable to fathom the intent and object behind the new law,” CJI NV Ramana said at a flag hoisting ceremony in the campus.
The statement comes at a time when marred by disruptions since day one, the monsoon session, the sixth of the 17th Lok Sabha, turned out to be the least productive of the Modi government’s second term. The session was also adjourned indefinitely, bringing it to an end two days before the scheduled close of 13 August.
Addressing reporters after the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, Speaker Om Birla said the productivity of the Lower House in the monsoon session was just 22 per cent.
Meanwhile, the CJI said post-independence, lawyers were in Parliament in large numbers which probably led to knowledgeable debate. He said the lawyer community should rededicate themselves to public life and bring change in parliamentary debates.
