Rijiju bats for judicial infrastructure, simplifying laws for common people

Itanagar: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said judicial infrastructure, especially in the lower judiciary, must be strengthened to ensure that justice is accessible, swift, and people-friendly.

Attending the inauguration of the newly constructed Gauhati High Court, Itanagar Permanent Bench building here, he said that infrastructure is extremely important, especially in the lower judiciary. Good facilities are needed for judges and litigants, Rijiju said.

“We have to make justice easy for the common people and reduce the distance between people and justice. Justice must be delivered beyond courtrooms,” the Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs minister said.

Highlighting the Modi govt’s reforms, he said over 1,500 redundant and obsolete laws, framed during the British era, have been deleted because they created unnecessary problems for common people.

“The presence of govt in the life of the common people should be reduced to the maximum,” he said, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rijiju noted that over five crore cases are pending across the country and said the Union Cabinet has approved Rs 7,000 crore for e-courts and related infrastructure. “Since 2021, we have appointed 21 judges for the Gauhati High Court, including three each for its benches in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland. Till 2018, there was no high court judge from Arunachal,” he said.

Rijiju, who represents Arunachal West Parliamentary constituency, urged lawyers in the state to spread legal awareness, given Arunachal’s late start with the formal judicial system and the continuing prevalence of customary laws.