The Hindu : New Delhi News : Advani for fast track courts to try politicians, civil servants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Advani for fast track courts to try politicians, civil servants

Sujay Mehdudia

PHOTO: Rajeev Bhatt

L. K. Advani at the national conference on "Governance and Politics" in New Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, on Saturday favoured the setting up of “fast track courts” to try cases of corruption pertaining to politicians and civil servants.

Speaking at the Conference on “Governance and Politics” organised by the Legal and Legislative Cell of the BJP, Mr. Advani said his party was willing to consider any effective mechanism for fast-track disposal of cases involving major economic offences and corruption cases against politicians and civil servants. “Politics has become commerce for many of its practitioners. Because of corruption in high places, the poison has spread down to many parts of the governance structure,” he added.

Mr. Advani also announced the party’s plan to form an advisory committee, headed by party general secretary Arun Jaitley and with retired High Court judge Rama Jois and others as members, to prepare an agenda for legal and judicial reforms.

He said that if a broad consensus emerged, four zonal benches of the Supreme Court could be established. “The criminal justice system in the country is such that conviction rate has fallen to 6-7 per cent creating a situation where criminals tend to feel safe and beyond the pale of law,” he said.

Accusing the UPA government of being incompetent and unwilling to fight terrorism,

Mr. Advani said the “cash-for-votes” deal could not have happened without the knowledge and consent of top leadership of the Congress and the government.

“The nation expects Dr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi to break their silence on this unprecedented scandal,” he said.

Expressing hope that the Parliamentary Committee probing the scam would bring out the truth, Mr. Advani warned the Congress leaders and the government that any attempt to cover up truth in this scandal would not be tolerated by the people.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi