New Delhi: Holding that government and judiciary cannot tell each other "you reform", new Law Minister Veerappa Moily has said judges have to come out with a solution on the issue of disclosure of their assets.
"There is no point in the government saying 'judiciary you reform'. There is no point in judiciary saying 'government you reform'," he said stressing the need for judicial reforms.
Noting that accountability has to be "built", Moily said that the issue of corruption needed to be addressed by the judiciary and the government.
"The issue of corruption in judiciary has to be addressed by both the government and the judiciary. We have the most credible judiciary in the world. (It is) well tested. We have excellent manpower in the judiciary.
"But how to make use of it. Accountability has to be built. No public authority can say I am not accountable to the society, to the nation, to the system," he said.
On the issue of disclosure of assets, Moily said it is the judiciary which will have to come out with a solution.
"They need to first think about it, because after all, ultimately there is a need and that they are not averse to it."
As regards judicial reforms, Moily insisted that there should be convergence of views between the judiciary and administration. "Or you will be spending your time on unnecessary friction and confrontation," he said.
Moily, who till recently was the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission, noted that "these are not days of confrontation with the judiciary but of understanding each other" and that "the reforms in the judiciary and the government should be seriously addressed".
He felt that judicial reforms could not be a standalone approach, but a holistic one.
"Administrative reforms and judicial reforms should go hand in hand," said Moily, who described himself as a "man in a hurry, man in haste" as "the last man in the queue will have to feel that justice is accessible to him."
No public authority can claim it is not accountable to the society, he feels adding, however, he does not want any confrontation with the judiciary which is the "most credible" in the world.
Moily said he even has plans to reform the departments under his Ministry, including those of Justice, Legislative, and Litigation.
He said he would like to see an environment of equality under law. "Every citizen should feel that he is equal as the last man in the queue will have to feel that justice is accessible to him."