Judiciary should be independent to maintain law: Philips

New Delhi, Mar 19 (UNI) The Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord Philips has laid emphasis on the independence of judiciary to maintain the rule of law.

The head of English judiciary, Lord Philips while speaking in a function, organised by Supreme Court Bar Association in order to welcome the delegation, said the independence of judiciary did not mean the lack of accountability of the judges in a democracy.

He called for correcting the gender imbalance in the judiciary pleading for appointment of more women judges.

Lord Philips said the judiciary could remain independent only if it commanded the respect of the people of the country.

The function was organised in the Supreme Court lawns on March 17 and presided over by the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan who welcomed the delegation which included the judges of the Court of Appeals and first woman Attorney General of England who has a Cabinet rank in England.

Justice Balakrishnan described the discussions with his English counterpart and other members as very useful and expressed the hope that further discussions should also be useful.

The function was addressed by SCBA president P H Parekh and attended by a large number of judges and lawyers.

UNI SC SW ht1945