Click to play videoNew Delhi: CNN-IBN's expose on judges who used foreign trips for extended holidays has had the desired impact.
The expose forced the government to sit up and not just take note but also to act on the issue.
Fresh guidelines from the government are now being put in place to curb the judges' foreign travels by 30 per cent.
Previously, judges would travel abroad for days together even while courts were in session. Most of them would travel with invites from private organisations.
Following a CNN-IBN expose on how judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts were holidaying abroad at the tax payers' expense, the government is now preparing fresh guidelines.
Union Law Minister, H R Bhardwaj said, "There was a lot of undue criticism so we made the rules that they should travel only when necessary and should do so only when the court is not in session."
Following the CNN-IBN report in May this year, officials admit that foreign visits by judges have been curtailed by a third. Moving away from past practice, the prime minister's office is refusing permission to a number of such requests.
The fresh guidelines dictate that:
- Judges should avoid travelling abroad when courts are in session.
- For high courts, if the trip is necessary, only one judge should represent the court.
- Invitations by non governmental institutes should be politely refused.
But some Members of the Parliament do not want to annoy the judiciary and endorse their need to travel abroad at will.
"Foreign travel is also necessary for the judges. It is important that our judges be exposed to the judiary proceedings, develoments abroad," said BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley.
A Right to Information (RTI) query had shown how judges were holidaying abroad with their wives in tow. Former chief justice Y K Sabharwal for instance, had extended his 11-day working-trip to 38 days, converting 21 days into a private visit.
The reason why the executive is sitting in judgment over the judiciary, goes a little beyond austerity measures. The images of judges have come in for a lot of criticism, especially from the media and now the government feels that its perhaps time to read out the riot act to the judges.
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