'Independent judiciary essential'

Politicians and subject experts have pointed out the need of active legal practitioners for making judiciary independent, fair and transparent.

The speakers said it while addressing the first national conference of Federal Legal Practitioners' Association affiliated to Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal here Friday. They also stressed on active role of the legal practitioners for strengthening federal republic.

On the occasion, JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav viewed unity among legal practitioners is essential for independent and fair judiciary. Their active role sought also for effective implementation of federalism, according to him.

"Fostering inclusive democracy is the need of hour. The old structure of governance and attitude should be shunned for thriving diversity-friendly democracy," Yadav opined.

He argued that the agenda of identity was losing visibility in provincial structure while institutional discrimination was ingrained in the federal system. The judiciary should be decentralized to fit the federal system, Yadav underlined.

Former minister and JSP leader Rajendra Prasad Shrestha said legal practitioners could work independent judiciary. On a different note, the present government would run for five years and pay special attention to implementation of federalism, and promotion of good governance.

Similarly, organization department chief of the party Ranadhwoj Kandangwa viewed more activism is needed among the lawyers to give right direction to Nepali politics.

Former Chief Attorney of Madhes Province, Dipendra Jha, said inclusive judiciary is needed in the country.

Senior advocate and legal expert at Vice President's Office, Mithiles Kumar Singh, said all sides activism and watchdog role helps make judiciary clean. Another senior advocate Tej Bahadur Rai also spoke on significance of transparency and effectiveness of judicial system.

Association Chairman Dipak Rai informed that Association would work actively for making judiciary inclusive.

The conference, to run for two days, will elect a new working committee.