Judicial institutions evolved in India in the context of India’s social, economic and political conditions and because of the reception of legal concepts and institutions known to English and Scottish judges, lawyers and administrators. Modern Indian judiciary bears the hallmarks of its genesis and evolution during the British rule but it has progressively gone for beyond the colonial confines after the republican Constitution came into force. The theme of fundamental Rights and the role of the Supreme Court and the High Courts as vigilant custodians of fundamental rights are at the heart of India’s constitutional democracy. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to our apex judicature, the higher judiciary and the country’s bar in the evolution of the common law of the Constitution. It constitutes by common consent a remarkable chapter in our national life.
The Constitution of India is not the last word in human wisdom, but it was certainly a glorious achievement of national consensus and national commitment. The higher Indian judiciary can be said to have broadly fulfilled its constitutional ethos. There have been aberrations, notably during the Emergency and in some cases, of overstating and unduly enlarging the scope of judicial power. More seriously, there are grave and growing problems of inefficient case management, arrears, delays, corruption and incompetence. Those issues have to be addressed urgently, effectively and comprehensively if the Indian judiciary is to emerge as a fit instrument for Rule of Law for the teeming millions in the largest democracy in the world and if the Indian judiciary is to flourish in the twenty-first century holding its head high as an institution of freedom, liberty and balance, with a commitment to the constitutional goals and aspirations of We the People of India.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Contents

1. A Brief on Legal Aid — Pgs. 7

2. Child Labour: An Unfulfilled Constitutional Mandate — Pgs. 10

3. Redeeming the Rights of the Child — Pgs. 14

4. Legal Aid Provision in Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 1970 — Pgs. 20

5. History of Legal Aid Service in India — Pgs. 38

6. Legal Aid Movement: Challenges — Pgs. 59

7. First International Colloquium on Legal Aid and Legal Services — Pgs. 64

8. National Legal Aid Plan — Pgs. 94

9. The Representation of Public Interest in the Indian Legal System — Pgs. 97

10. Free Legal Aid Service — Pgs. 110

11. Social Responsibility of the Legal Profession — Pgs. 145

12. The Significance of Legal Profession — Pgs. 158

13. The Importance of Jurors — Pgs. 181

14. The Importance of Lawyers — Pgs. 192

15. Denial of Justice — Pgs. 207

16. Commonwealth Legal Education Association:An Introduction — Pgs. 216

17. The Indian Law Institute Frontiers — Pgs. 219

18. Fourth Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference — Pgs. 224

19. Human Rights — Pgs. 230

20. Role of Jurors Assessors and Lawyers — Pgs. 239

21. The Supreme Court of India — Pgs. 247

22. Administrative Law in India — Pgs. 252

23. Role of Bar Association and Human Rights — Pgs. 266

24. Judicial Independence — Pgs. 271

25. The Legal Aspect of War — Pgs. 272

26. Justice Delayed is Justice Denied — Pgs. 308

27. A Questionnaire on Reform of Criminal Justice System — Pgs. 313

28. A Brief History of World Judiciary — Pgs. 326

29. The Law of Libel — Pgs. 337

30. Independence of Justice System — Pgs. 345

31. Universal Declaration on the Independence of Justice — Pgs. 347

32. The Evolution of Indian Judiciary:A Vigilant Custodian of Fundamental Rights — Pgs. 362

(9 Nov., 1931 – 6 Oct., 2007)
A world citizen, a scholar-statesman, a prolific author, poet, linguist and litterateur, an eminent jurist, a doyen of the Indian Bar, UN Special Rapporteur and a world authority on Judicial Independence, a distinguished diplomat and a prominent parliamentarian, Dr. Singhvi was a votary and an exponent of the heritage of India, a world leader in the movement for Culture of Peace, interfaith tolerance and amity, and Human Rights.
He received the highest acclaim in the form of degrees of LL.D. and D. Litt. Honoris Causa from leading universities in India and abroad. He was made an Honorary Bencher and Master of the Middle Temple in 1987. He had the rare distinction of being appointed to the ancient Rede Chair which was established in 1524 in Cambridge University.

Dr. Singhvi was elected to Lok Sabha in 1962 and to Rajya Sabha in 1998.
Dr. Singhvi was elected a President of the Centennial Parliament of World’s Religions held in Chicago in 1993. He led the Indian delegations to the UN Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 and the UNESCO Conference on Culture of Peace in Stockholm in 1998. Dr. Singhvi was elected to the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague in 2000. Dr. Singhvi was High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom for seven years with the rank of cabinet minister. Awarded Padma Bhushan in 1998. Dr. Singhvi was Life Trustee and President of various social, cultural and literary organisations of repute. He authored several monographs and books in English and Hindi.