Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) A day after getting the Lokpal and whistle-blowers bill passed, the government Wednesday introduced in the Lok Sabha the judicial accountability legislation that seeks to establish a credible mechanism to probe complaints of misbehaviour by judges.

It also simultaneously introduced a constitution amendment bill that seeks to amend the procedures for appointment of judges and provide for the retirement age of high court judges to be increased from 62 to 65.

Introducing the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010, and Constitutional 114th Amendment Bill, 2010, Law Minister Salman Khurshid appealed to the Lok Sabha members to give their nod to the important legislation that will enable setting of new probity standards in the Indian judiciary.

The judiciary related bill lays down judicial standards and provides for accountability of judges, and, to establish credible and expedient mechanism for investigating into individual complaints for misbehaviour or incapacity of a judge of the Supreme Court or of a high court.

It also provides to regulate the procedure for such investigation; and for the presentation of an address by parliament to the president in relation to proceeding for removal of a judge and for matters connected with such matters.

The judicial accountability bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha last year and was then sent to the parliamentary standing committee on personnel, law and justice, which made a crucial recommendation that seeks to “restrain” judges from making “unwarranted comments” against other constitutional bodies or persons.