International Conference on Transparency & Accountability in Justice Administration System: Challenges and Resolution’: 24-25 Sept 2016

The Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Governance (CTAG)  at National Law University Delhi and CHRI, New Delhi, organised a two-day International Conference on Transparency & Accountability in Justice Administration System: Challenges and Resolution’  on 24^th and 25^th of September 2016.  The inaugural session Chaired by Hon’ble Mr. Justice V Gopal Gowda, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Chief Guest & Key Note Speaker and also attended by Justice Mohan Pieris, Former Chief Justice of Sri Lankan Supreme Court, Guest of Honour; Prof MP Singh, Professor of Law & Chancellor, Central University Haryana; Mr Venkatesh Nayak, CHRI and Prof. G.S. Bajpai, Registrar, National Law University Delhi, was conducted on 24^th September, 2016. Prof MP Singh, delivered the inaugural speech/welcome address. Dr. J.S. Mann, Director of CTAG and Convenor of the Conference, spoke on the themes of the Conference. Further, Justice Mohan Pieris, Former Chief Justice of Sri Lankan Supreme Court, delivered the Guest of honour address, where he touched upon the contemporary issues of appointment and removal of judges in Sri Lanka. Vote of Thanks was conveyed by the Registrar.

Activists, lawyers, professors, and students paper presenters from all over India as well as some foreign countries took part in the Conference in various capacities. The Conference witnessed lively participation and quality discussion from all the panellists, paper presenters and participants. The Conference organised 09 specialised technical sessions covering, important challenges in the form of Judicial independence, Separation of powers, transparency and accountability in the Bar and Bench, appointment and removal of judges, professional misconducts of judges and legal practitioners, accountability of bar councils and associations, and corruption in bar, bench and law school.   Expert Panellists of the Conference included experts like Justice, Mohan Pieris, Former Chief Justice of Sri Lankan Supreme Court, Justice S Murlidhar, Judge Delhi High Court, Prof NR Madhava Menon, Prof NL Mitra, Prof MP Singh, Prof BT Kaul, Prof Sachidanandam, Prof A Jaya Govind, Prof V Vijayakumar, Prof Prodhan from Bangladesh, Shri Prashant Bhushan, Mr Ajmer Singh, Reporter Economic Times, Mr Abani Sahu, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India and other experts on Justice administration system. Forty Papers were presented by students, teachers and other professionals. Corruption in the Judiciary and Bar Councils by most of the panellists was also seen as a serious threat to the quality of operations in justice administration system. The Valedictory Cum Technical Session on 25^th Sept 2016 was chaired by Justice S Murlidhar, Judge, Delhi High Court.  Justice Murlidhar stressed upon the need of controlling corruption in the judiciary and Bar for providing quality legal services and restoring the trust of people over the justice administration system in India. The Conference concluded on a high expectation that such Conference should be organised regularly and all the stakeholder involved in the justice administration system must ensure transparency and accountability in the governance.