KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 27
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has stressed that all the bodies concerned should ensure effective delivery of justice by assimilating the basic principles of justice.
While addressing the national gathering of the '15th All Nepal Law Practitioners' National Conference' of Nepal Bar Association in Kathmandu today, the head of the state insisted that legal practitioners play a vital role in keeping the norms and values of independent judiciary intact in the course of justice delivery.
"Justice delayed is justice denied," the president said, adding that the role of legal practitioners was crucial to ensure people's access to justice.
"Punishment without crime is a grave injustice."
She also urged law practitioners to contribute to building an equitable and just society founded on the principles of democratic norms and values.
Stating that the prevalence of legal procedures were becoming wider with the rapid process of globalisation, the president said the situation had led to the rise in demand for internationally competent law workforce.
The president stressed the need to provide quality education in the institutions teaching law to produce qualified, capable and upright law researchers and law practitioners.
She urged Nepal Bar Association, an integral part of the judiciary, to play an effective role in promoting independent judiciary, rule of law, constitutional supremacy, and human rights as well as to fulfil the aspirations of law practitioners and law consumers.
The head of the state appreciated the NBA for providing free legal service to increase access to law for the helpless and indigent communities.
She also drew the attention of the NBA to the need to strengthen the ecosystem balance in the context of increasing challenges posed by the global climate change crisis.
The president urged law practitioners to be fair and professional in disputes that arise every now and then regarding the jurisdiction of the executive and the judiciary while consolidating the basic structures of the republic.
She expected the conference to take effective decisions in implementing the conclusions drawn by various sectors in ending anomalies and aberrations in the judiciary.
"Along with the contributions of law practitioners, judiciary interpretations and propounded principals will help constitutionalism and democracy to prosper," she viewed.
President Bhandari suggested that law practitioners advocate and develop laws by putting the country, people and society at the centre. She also stressed the need for law practitioners, jurisprudence experts, and law professors and students to launch an effective campaign in a bid to eradicate corruption and establish sustainable peace and good governance.
On the occasion, legal expert Krishna Prasad Bhandari, 95, also the former president of Nepal Bar Association, was honoured with 'Law Wangmaya Centenarian Men Award'. The president offered a shawl and a letter of appreciation to Krishna Prasad in his honour.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 28, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
