In the backdrop of host of Government departments being involved in 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, Justice Anant Bijay Singh of Jharkhand High Court has requested the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh to request the Ministry of the Law and Justice to incorporate the Indian judiciary as well into the programme.
In a letter written to the Deputy Chairman Justice AB Singh mentioned that he is making the request after learning that the former is also member of the committee formed under the chairmanship of President of India in this regard.
The Justice opined that judiciary could be asked to hold seminar and workshops on role of Mahtama Gandhi in resolving disputes through mediation and conciliation.
Justice AB Singh stated that Mahatma Gandhi was a barrister by profession. He added that during his 21-years tenure as a lawyer in South Africa Mahatma Gandhi resolved thousands of cases through the process of mediation.
He said that Indian judiciary was at present striving to resolve the pendency of back-log cases by settlement of disputes through the process of mediation and conciliation and organizing Lok Adalat regularly under the legal service authority act from taluka to Supreme Court level. He stated this method is popularly known as ADR mechanism which is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.
Quoting from a book ‘The Man before Mahatma’ written by Charles Dissalve, Justice Singh pointed out that said Gandhi ji stuck to the truth as a lawyer.
“The book states that according to him (Gandhi ji) the greatest wrong lawyer could commit in the process of law is to be party to the miscarriage of justice,” he said.
The Justice also mentioned about the book by Ramchandra Guha, ‘Gandhi The years that changed the world,’ which deals with three types of Satyagraha by Gandhi ji.The book states that by all these means Gandhi ji enforced Rule of Law to empower citizens of their rights
He requested the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman that Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justices of High Courts may be impressed upon to hold seminar and workshops on rule of law and Swaraj and contribution of Mahtama Gandhi.
Justice AB Singh added that Bar Council of India and the State Bar Council may also be asked to organized function on the aforementioned subjects through bar association of high courts, district courts, sub-divisional courts and tribunals.
Notably, Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) under its executive chairman Justice D N Patel has taken a major step in realising dream of Gandhiji through using the tool of Mediation by imparting training and involving a large number of lawyers, bureaucrats and civil society members over the years in order to unburden the State Judiciary.