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Jethmalani's comment on judiciary outrages Congress

The Congress on Friday took strong exception to Law Minister Ram Jethmalani's statement that incompetence of judges was one of the reasons for the large number of cases pending settlement, and there was corruption in the judiciary.

A law minister should not make such sweeping statements, Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal felt. "This is a serious statement which all should take note of. We will wait to see how the minister enumerates this and what steps he takes, especially on corruption," he said.

"The Congress does not believe that the minister should make such a statement when the judiciary itself is concerned about such issues. The minister should have talked to the judiciary and found solutions instead of making such sweeping statements," he added.

The Congress however welcomed Jethmalani's suggestion that the salary and perks of judges should be enhanced to attract the best talents.

Asked about the Congress' views on reservation in judiciary, Sibal said the party wanted representation of all communities, besides adequate representation of women.

Referring to the new Cabinet at the Centre, the spokesman said his party hoped that there would be a full-fledged minister for agriculture.

Sibal said discussions on installing a secular government in Maharashtra were still on.

Meanwhile, the strength of the A K Antony Committee, set up by Congress president Sonia Gandhi for an introspection through an analysis of the Lok Sabha results, was expanded from seven to 11. The new members are Moti Lal Vora, Jagdish Tytler, Prithviraj Chavan and Nirmal Khatri.

Committee convenor Mani Shankar Aiyar said he expected to report to the Congress president by the end of next month. The panel is to review, analyse and assess the outcome of the Lok Sabha election to identify the causes for the Congress reverse and recommend remedies.

UNI

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