Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that laws should come with an expiry date and framed in local languages so that the common man can comprehend them. He also stated that the justice delivery mechanism needs to upgrade and adapt to the changing times and technology.
Addressing a two-day meeting of law ministers and law secretaries of states at Kevadia in Gujarat, the PM stated complexities in laws are contributing to delay in justice delivery and imposing a high cost on citizens as he exhorted the legislature, executive and judiciary to work in tandem for speedy dispensation of justice. He added “Obscurity of law creates complexity. If law is comprehensible to the common man, it will have a different impact . . . Our focus should be such that even the poor can understand the new law.”
Modi said some countries have the provision of deciding during the framing of a law as to how long it will remain effective. “So, in a way, the age and the expiry date of a law is determined when it is being framed. When that (stipulated) date comes, the same law is reviewed in new circumstances. In India, too, we will have to go ahead with the same spirit,” he said.
PM Modi indicated that digital archives of significant Supreme Court and high court cases will be very helpful to the populace, highlighting the importance of using regional languages in the legal system for "ease of justice. He added that “Delay in getting justice is one of the major challenges being faced by the people of our country . But our judiciary is seriously working towards resolving this issue. In this ‘Amrit Kaal’, we will have to work together to tackle this.”
