::National::

Govt to revisit justice malimath report of 2003

 A 2003 report of a Committee on reforms in the criminal justice system that recommended
admissibility of confessions made before a police officer as evidence in a court of law is being
revisited by the Centre.

 The Committee on Reforms of the Criminal Justice System, or the Justice Malimath Committee,
was constituted by the Home Ministry in 2000 by then Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, who also
held the Home portfolio.

 It was headed by Justice V.S. Malimath, former Chief Justice of the Karnataka and Kerala High
Courts.

 The Commitee’s report was discussed at the annual Directors General of Police (DGP) conference
held at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was present.

 Mr. Modi attended the presentation made by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) DG R.K
Pachnanda on the Committee’s recommendations.

 Senior police officers also briefed the Prime Minister on internal security.

 Asked if the government would implement the recommendations, Minister of State for Home Kiren
Rijiju said, “Consultations will be held with the Law Ministry. Home Ministry cannot implement the
report on its own.”

 The Malimath panel had made 158 recommendations but these were never implemented.The
subsequent UPA governments from 2004 to 2014 did not act on the report either.

 The Committee also suggested constituting a National Judicial Commission and amending Article
124 to make impeachment of judges less difficult.