Chandigarh, Feb 11 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday said his government will explore all options to discontinue the Gram Nyayalaya system in the state, calling it impractical and against the interests of the legal fraternity.
Interacting with the representatives of 65 Bar associations here, Mann said a committee of legal luminaries would be formed to examine the issue in detail.
The state government will raise the matter with the Centre at an appropriate level, he added.
Punjab already has courts within a 20-km radius across the state, making the Gram Nyayalaya concept redundant, the chief minister said.
He also said that lawyers were opposed to the move as it caused them inconvenience, and assured the representatives that the state government will stand firmly with the legal fraternity.
“The rule of law and ethics in the judiciary must remain paramount. No stone would be left unturned to safeguard the interests of lawyers,” he said.
The Bar associations have always played a key role in strengthening the legal system and protecting constitutional values such as justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, Mann said.
Gram Nyayalayas are mobile, village-level courts in Punjab established under the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, designed to provide justice directly to the rural residents.
Highlighting the importance of public trust, the chief minister said lawyers and political leaders share a similar responsibility in upholding the rule of law.
Mann also suggested that lawyers could consider setting up NGOs to provide free legal aid to the marginalised sections of society.
Referring to the demands raised by the lawyers, Mann said issues such as the Lawyers Protection Act and conversion of commercial electricity connections of chambers into domestic ones would be examined sympathetically.
Calling the Municipal Bhawan ‘Appointment Bhawan’, Mann said around 50,000 appointment letters out of 63,000 government jobs had been distributed from the premises so far.
Earlier, Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi welcomed the chief minister and highlighted the significance of the interaction. PTI VSD ARI
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