Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur: Victims of Crime lack confidence in Legal Aid Lawyers

May,7,2016:

Criminal justice system needs a lot of reforms, says Justice Madan B Lokur.

Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur said today,' Criminal justice system in the Country has a huge problems and it needs both procedural and substantive reforms because poor clients lack faith in legal aid lawyers provided to them

He also added that there is an urgent need for reforming the police force as well. He said Police is in a bad shape and several recommendations for improving it have not yet been implemented apart from the fact that they are over burdened.

"In most of the Death Sentence cases, either the defence lawyers are not good enough or the accused is illiterate and hence it affects the quality of his defence," he said.

"The criminal justice system needs a lot of reforms, in both procedural and substantive arena" Justice Lokur observed during the panel discussion on the Death Penalty India report by the Centre on the Death Penalty of National Law University located in Delhi.

"In most criminal cases, it is found that the accused have not even met their defence lawyers concerned," he said.  The understanding of Court language and the trial proceedings along with poor financial conditions make things more difficult for illiterate Under Trial accused.

While discussing the intricate procedural issues in the criminal justice system, he further said, "Our police force is in a very bad shape. Several reports on police reforms are yet to be implemented. Until and unless we have a specialised agencies, things are not going to improve in the Criminal Justice System."

"It's the Justice Delivery system that has to be reformed, not the lawyers or judges," he stressed.

Centre on Death Penalty of Delhi National Law University has lately released the 'Death Penalty India Report'. The panel of the discussion included Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan and Anup Surendranath, Director of the Center.