New Delhi: It was a huge embarrassment for the government on Monday when its first major attempt at judicial reform got stalled in the Rajya Sabha.
The bill has a controversial clause that says judges don't have to make their wealth public. The Opposition says that goes against the spirit of reform and accountability, and even the Congress agreed with the concerns.
Therefore, the bill was deferred, but it has reopened the debate on judicial accountability.
It was caught unaware over the depth of the opposition to the bill. The Opposition's contention is that the proposed law doesn't go far enough. A controversial clause protects judges from making their declarations of wealth public.
"This is a messy and not well thought-out bill," said Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Even the Congress accepted there were concerns and welcomed the government's decision to defer the bill.
"There is sensitivity in terms of generating broad consensus. It's not an intention to steamroll or ride rough the party and the government doesn't believe in it," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
The judiciary believes publicising the wealth of judges could make them targets of frivolous allegations.
"They will not be able to function properly. There should be no politics done as far as judges are concerned," said V N Khare, former chief justice of India.
Pressure seems to have worked on the UPA government with its decision to defer the judges bill. Clearly kickstarting the judicial reform process is not going to be an easy task.