Kathmandu, July 25:

Supreme Court Justice Anup Raj Sharma today expressed serious dissatisfaction over the working style of the judiciary saying that it was losing people’s faith.

Sharma said that people are losing faith towards court as they are not getting justice on time.

“Though the 1950 movement brought overall changes in the society, it could not bring changes in the justice sector. If we can not bring changes in judiciary, we can do nothing,”

Sharma said addressing addressing a programme on ‘Judiciary Integrity Workshop on Procedural Law Reform’ organised by Nepal Environmental Lawyers Association.

“People are terrified when they listen the name of court. People who want to go to court are not doing so because there is no environment to get justice,” he added. Justice Sharma also added that the environment of judiciary is worsening day by day because of conflict.

“Judiciary in Cambodia failed because of conflict. Our judiciary is also going on the same path,” Sharma said, adding, “conflict was affecting judiciary everywhere.” Sharma also said lawyers and journalists were attacking judiciary unnecessarily.

“Definitely, people are not satisfied with the way judiciary is functioning. But the lawyers and the journalists have also been creating negative impressions towards judiciary,” he added.

“Why lawyers and journalists are not praising judiciary for its positive works, why they are always raising negative things,” he asked.

“Don’t criticise the judiciary unnecessarily,” he said adding, “I want to draw the attention of journalists in this regard.”

Justice Sharma also said that there is an urgent need to reform the procedural laws and to overcome the Muluki Ain syndrome to reform the justice sector.

Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri also said that the judiciary is functioning being based on ancient laws and said that there was an urgent need to bring reform in the sector.

“Our justice is based on 50 years old law which needs entire and immediate reform,” Giri added.

“If we can not do anything immediately to reform the judiciary, we can not ask people to wait,” said former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Prakash Raut. “We have to do at least something in this regard,” he added.