“Lawmaking process needs to undergo radical changes…”: Attorney General R Venkatraman

New Delhi [India], April 21 (ANI): Attorney General of India R Venkataramani said that the lawmaking process needs to undergo radical changes and also stressed that not only efforts are made for enacting laws but also ensuring their effective implementation and relevance in a rapidly changing world.

The Attorney General was speaking at the ‘International Legal Conference 2024’ hosted by the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking on ‘the transformative potential of the legal sector in shaping India’s economic trajectory’, the top law officer said on Saturday that life revolves around service, echoing the Indian ethos of communal welfare.

“I believe legal practitioners play a pivotal role in enhancing service quality across diverse sectors. The evolving landscape demands a re-evaluation of archaic legal principles and procedural inefficiencies,” he added.

The Attorney General told the audience that the legal service provision must not stand out in isolation today; it needs to be connected to the rest of policymaking.

“And I believe our lawmaking process needs to undergo radical changes. The connection between people, representatives, policy-making, inputs, and insights must be a loop,” said AG.

The Attorney General also mentioned that technology and innovation can help transform the approach towards law and governance.

“However, amidst these challenges lies an opportunity for collective introspection and innovation. Just as technology has revolutionised our connectivity, so too can it transform our approach to law and governance. This era of interconnectedness necessitates a holistic approach to policy-making and justice administration. It’s not just about enacting laws but also ensuring their effective implementation and relevance in a rapidly changing world. Let’s harness our collective wisdom and creativity to forge a path towards a more just and prosperous society,” the law officer said.

On the occasion, Senior advocate and President of the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and Founder Chairman of SEPC, Lalit Bhasin, said need to enhance the facilitation of the disposal of matters, citing the large amount of pendency of the cases.

“There are currently five crore cases pending in India, and the cases are mounting. We need to enhance the facilitation of the disposal of matters, which is currently not happening due to obsolete laws. The ease of filing should be accompanied by a simultaneous process of disposal. I believe there needs to be a rationalisation of laws, involving the removal of obsolete laws from the statute books. This includes laws from the 1800s, such as laws of evidence, contracts, taxes, etc. Mere substitution with new codes, like in the case of labour codes, doesn’t bring much benefit,” he added.

He further said that there should be a reduction in the delays regarding mediation and settlement cases.

“I believe that the legislative department of the Ministry of Law and Justice has a significant role to play in this rationalisation process. The focus for the future needs to be to bring justice by removing and reducing the notorious laws and delays in mediation and settlement,” he said.