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The two day 3rd National Convention on “Making the Judiciary Accountable and Responsive to the People” organised by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms was held at the Nehru Memorial Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi on the 6th-7th of February 2010. The Convention was attended by over 200 people representing various organisations and movements from across the country. The Convention was addressed by a range of distinguished speakers on the twin issues of judicial accountability and reforms specifically dealing with the issues of appointment of judges and complaints against and removal of judges, the judiciary and public discourse, the judiciary and the environment-development dichotomy, the judiciary and civil liberties as well as the judiciary and the poor. Read here the backgroudnote i resolution passed at the conclusion of the convention and highlights of Day 1.

The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform has sent a letter to Shri Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, regarding the 3 member enquiry committee appointed to enquire into the motion for removal of Jusitce P.D. Dinakaran. The letter brings to Shri Ansari's notice that Justice Sirupurkar’s friendship with Justice Dinakaran, coupled with his prejudgement of the matter, places him in a position where if he inquires into this matter, justice will not be seen to be done. The same would be the case with Shri P.P. Rao who has been formally consulted in the matter by Justice Dinakaran. The letter further requests that these facts be placed before Justice Sirupurkar and Shri P.P. Rao and they be asked whether they would like to recuse themselves from the inquiry committee, to avoid any further controversy in the matter.

"Democracy expects openness and openness is concomitant of free society. Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” a full Bench of the Delhi High court held on the 12th of January 2010. The historic judgment which rules that the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a “public authority” that comes under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act also held that judges of superior courts should make public their assets. "Judicial independence was not a judge’s personal privilege but a responsibility cast upon him"

Karnataka High Court’s Justice DV Shylendra Kumar voices on his blog, his disapproval and the impropriety of Karnataka CJ Dinakaran continuing to exercise administrative functions while “his past conduct and exploits do not inspire the confidence of the people”. He points to the abuse and misuse of power in CJ Dinakaran’s declining permission to hold a meeting of all judges of the High Court to discuss the function and conduct of Justice Dinakaran himself

This is Mr. Prashant Bhushan’s reply (filed in the Supreme Court on the 8th of Decemeber, 2009) to the contempt petition filed by Mr. Harish Salve on the basis on an interview given by Mr. Bhushan to the Tehelka magazine.

The notice of motion for presenting an address to the President of India for the removal of Justice Dinakaran, Chief Justice of the Karanataka High Court, under Article 217 read with Article 124(4) of Constitution of India for his various acts of misbehavior, including dishonest judicial orders, irregular and dishonest administrative actions, etc. Also annexed is an explanatory note on the motion for impeachement. The motion is proposed to be signed by M.P.s of the Rajya Sabha and then be submitted to the Vice President.

Another victory for transparency and accountability as the Chief Information Commission has held the appointment of judges is a “public activity” which cannot be withheld from disclosure, directing the Supreme Court to make public the records of appointing three justices of the apex court who superseded their seniors. RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal had sought complete correspondence between authorities concerned relating to appointment of Justices H L Dattu, A K Ganguly and R M Lodha superseding seniority of Justices A P Shah, A K Patnaik and V K Gupta as allegedly objected by Prime Minister's Office

Here’s an interesting communication – a letter written by the Supreme Court Bar Association President Mr. M. N. Krishnamani to the Editor, Tehelka, regarding an earlier interview published in the magazine wherein Mr. Prashant Bhushan had stated that Jusitce Kapadia had violated the conflict of interest principle in deciding the Vendanta Cases despite having sharing in Sterlite (a subsidiary company). Mr. Krishnamani lauds Justice Kapadia’s ‘no one objected’ stand in not recusing himself, it being in accordance with the laid down rule in the Code of Conduct for Judges while he goes on to assert the rampant corruption in the judiciary. For this and Mr. Bhushan’s pointed reply