Justice without power becomes powerless and power without justice becomes tyrannical: Shah

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that justice without power becomes powerless and power without justice becomes tyrannical.

He made the remarks at the Concluding Session of International Lawyers Conference here at the Vigyan Bhawan.

Addressing the gathering, Shah said, "Modi government has brought about transformation in civil law by eliminating 300 codes in the Jan Vishwas Bill."

He said that in the last 9 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the government has made many changes in the laws.

"In the last 9 years, Arbitration Law, Mediation Law and Public Trust Bill, these three laws have worked in a way to reduce the burden on the judiciary," Shah said.

"PM Modi believes that any law can become perfect only when stakeholder consultation is done wholeheartedly," he said.

Emphasising that justice without power becomes powerless and power without justice becomes tyrannical, he said, "Justice is what maintains the balance and the makers of our Constitution took a conscious decision to keep it separate.

"Justice and balance of all types of power is very important, only then a just society can be created," he said.

Shah said that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has brought our changing economy in line with the world.

"Be it GST or Insolvency Act, the changes that are taking place in them are being made due to the difficulties in their implementation. No law is in its final form, it should be improved by understanding the time and the problems faced in its implementation," he said.

He said that the purpose of making laws is to create a smooth system, not to establish supremacy of the law makers. "Therefore, the changes taking place in these laws are making them more relevant," Shah said.

He also said that the system of complete justice can be understood only when you study the laws that touch every part of the society.

He also said that with the introduction of three laws and three systems, we will be able to remove the delays in our criminal justice system in less than a decade.

"The basic objective of the old laws was to strengthen the British rule. His purpose was to punish, not to do justice," he said.

He said that the purpose of these three new laws is to provide justice, not punishment. "Here is a step to deliver criminal justice," he said.

He said that the system of complete justice can be understood only when you study the laws that touch every part of the society.

Discussing the three laws, he said: "Three new laws are coming into the criminal justice system. These laws are coming after almost 160 years with a completely new approach and new system. Along with new initiatives, 3 initiatives have also been taken by the government to create a law-friendly ecosystem."

He said that many changes have been made in the new laws to promote technology.

"The definition of documents has been greatly expanded, legal recognition has been given to electronic and digital records, messages available on digital devices have been recognised, and summons will also be considered valid in all types of electronic modes, from SMS to email," Shah said, adding that first is e-court, second is ICJS and third is adding new technology to these three laws.

He said that the government is adding a new provision on mob lynching, "we are abolishing the section of treason and the work of legalising community service will also be done under these new laws."

"I want to make an appeal to all the lawyers across the country to look at all these laws in detail. Your suggestions are very valuable. Send your suggestions to the Home Secretary of the Government of India and we will definitely consider those suggestions before finalizing the law," he said.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the ‘International Lawyers Conference here and hailed the role of the legal fraternity saying that it plays a very important role in the building of any country and judiciary and bar have long been protectors of India's justice system.