Law Minister H R Bharadwaj on Monday said the Congress-led government would take steps to repeal or amend Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), the controversial anti-terrorism law.
"We do not relish POTA. I will discuss the issue with the home ministry very soon to get it repealed or bring some amendments to it," Bharadwaj told reporters in Delhi after assuming office.
He vowed to restore the confidence of the people in the judiciary, which witnessed some scandals in the recent past. "The recent scandals in judiciary did not speak of a happy situation. It is a major problem and I will speak to the Chief Justice of India as to how to improve the shoddy image of the judiciary," the Law Minister said.
Promising that the ministry would come out with a charter of reforms, Bharadwaj said the emphasis would be on the prompt and speedy disposal of cases.
Unfilled vacancies of judges in the high courts was a matter of concern. "I will investigate why vacancies of judges remain pending in the high courts," he said.
Bharadwaj said the National Democratic Alliance government's idea of creating a National Judicial Commission (NJC) for appointment of high court and Supreme Court judges 'is a misnomer and unrealistic'.
"I will not pursue it (the NJC proposal). I will have a dialogue with the bench and the Bar to evolve a harmonious process."
Earlier, senior officers of the Law Ministry, including Secretary (Legislative Department) T K Vishwanathan and K N Chaturvedi, member of the Law Commission, accompanied the new minister to his office.
