Lawyers come good on unity

It is a welcome development that lawyers, irrespective of their political affiliations, have arrived at a set of norms that would help them discharge their duties with greater commitment to society. It was not an unexpected move since lawyers are supposed to allow their professional needs and standards to supersede all other considerations. But what is unique about the latest instance of lawyers rallying behind a common cause is that they have succeeded in casting aside the political currents and cross currents, which greatly blurred their primary identity and focus as legal practitioners in the recent past.

The Bar Council, as the apex body of the lawyers, has adopted a 20-point resolution. The lawyers have collectively identified the problems and have put forward remedial suggestions. For example, political appointment of judges, or politicisation of the process, has for quite some time been a controversial issue which continues to undermine the position of the judiciary. Some cases of judges superseding senior colleagues were reported in recent years and there was a loud outcry against the deviation from professional standards. But it is for the first time that lawyers have spoken collectively against it, rising above political alignments.

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The question of separation of the judiciary from the executive branch of the government has been raised once more. It is a demand that successive governments promised to fulfil, but in practice little progress has been made to give the judiciary the freedom it needs to act without being inhibited by extraneous factors.

The lawyers have given a fresh reminder to the government of its obligations as far as separation of the judiciary is concerned. The government, for its part, should heed the suggestions of the Bar Council, which are but the results of a consensus forged by legal practitioners across the board.