Previous Indian criminal laws now justice laws: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar at Konda Madhav Reddy Centenary

HYDERABAD: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has released a special postal cover commemorating the 100th anniversary of the late Justice Konda Madhav Reddy who served as Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai High Courts and also as Governor of Maharashtra. The event was held at the AV College in Gagan Mahal on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President said, "As Bharat approaches its centenary year, Bharat@2047, we must remember the ideals advocated and emphasised by Justice Reddy - service, justice and compassion, as these must form the bedrock of an inclusive society and a vibrant democracy. As a matter of fact, these are essence of our civilizational ethos. We must ever continue to believe in them, practice them."

Dhankhar said that it was soothing to note that all three organs - the Judiciary, the Executive and the Legislature were performing commendably and catalysing the unprecedented rise of Bharat

"During the past decade, significant strides have been made in the judicial system, emphasizing digitalization through the e-Courts Project and the National Judicial Data Grid. These have not only enhanced transparency and accessibility, but have resulted in reduction in pendency of cases. Major legal reforms included the establishment of Commercial Courts and amendments to arbitration laws, aiming at faster dispute resolution. Initiatives like National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been taken to strengthen legal aid mechanisms for the underprivileged sections of society, ensuring access to justice for all.

"Supreme Court has gone paperless, and even the courts (including advocates) are performing paperless. 99 per cent of the district courts are connected to the respective High Courts are moving towards a paperless ecosystem," he said.

About the achievements of Legislature, Dhankar said, "The new laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act — have unshackled Indian Criminal Justice system from colonial legacy while keeping the focus on justice rather than punishment. It is a monumental and revolutionary change that the Bhartiya Dand Sanhita has now become the Nyaya Sanhita."

The Vice President was optimisitic of the economical strides being made by India and said, "Our digital transactions in 2022 were four times of the combined transactions of US, UK, France and Germany. Our UPI is being adopted even by countries like Singapore. Just a decade ago we were part of fragile five, now we are the fifth largest economy in the world and on way to become third largest global economy. We have already overtaken Canada and the UK, and soon will be overtaking the Japan & Germany."