Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform

First Campaign Committee meeting

23^rd January 2016, 3p.m.-6p.m.

6/6 basement, Jangpura B

 Agenda

• Round of introductions and review of agenda – facilitated by Cheryl Dsouza
• Summary of campaign highlights, activities and the road ahead – Prashant Bhushan, Convenor CJAR
• Campaign statement – facilitated by Siddharta Sharma
• Transparency policy – facilitated by Nikhil Dey
• Organizational structure, nomination of executive group – Facilitated by Prashant Bhushan
• Sub groups and nomination of sub group coordinators – Facilitated by Devvrat
• Finalising next steps, next meeting dates – Facilitated by Cheryl Dsouza

 

Campaign Statement

The Campaign for Judicial Accountability & Judicial Reforms (CJAR) is a response of people’s movements, campaign organizations and individuals working on public interest issues, to ensure a judicial system that is far more accountable, accessible and sensitive to the poor, marginalized and common people of this country. An efficiently functioning judiciary committed to the values of the constitution is essential for each citizen of the country. As members of the Campaign committee we are committed to a social, secular, democratic country and a judiciary that supports these principles and upholds the fundamental rights of each citizen of this country. We come together to reiterate that judicial accountability and transparency does not just concern the judiciary but fundamentally affects our constitutional, social and democratic structures. Unfortunately neither the government, political mainstream parties nor the judiciary have shown any serious commitment to ensuring the functioning of the judiciary on these norms. The campaign therefore intends to take these issues and campaign to the people, to build up a nationwide peoples movement for Judicial accountability and Reform so that there is organised public pressure on the authorities to bring about the desired change.

 

Campaign Structure

Annual convention –  One of the aims of the convention will be to lay out the broad principles and priorities that will guide the work of the Campaign until the next convention. The convention will be held once every two years.

Campaign Committee comprising campaigns and individuals who are selected/screened by the Executive group – meeting once every three months. Each member will subscribe to the Campaign Statement and sign the transparency Policy.

Executive group – The executive Group shall provide direction to the Campaign’s activities. However, it will be chiefly guided by the mandate and policies laid out at the annual convention. The members of the executive group shall be nominated from within the Campaign Committee and any additions or removals from this group will be subject to the approval of the other members of the executive group and the larger campaign committee. The executive group will nominate one person as it convenor. The executive group shall meet at least once a month. The minutes of the executive group will be shared with the large Campaign Committee. The executive group shall be responsible for the passing of resolutions or approval of any joint statements issued in the name of the Campaign or information uploaded to the website.

The Secretariat – The campaign shall have a Secretariat. The secretariat will be guided and supported by the executive group who will give weekly guidance to the secretary and supervision of the secretariat. The Secretariat will derive its mandate from the meetings of the Campaign Committee and the executive group and plans its work in the light of the decisions taken therein. The Secretary shall report to the convenor and the executive group. The responsibilities of the secretariat would be facilitating all meetings and follow up activities of the various groups part of CJAR, maintaining the Campaign website, circulating regular information about activities of the Campaign, facilitating communication and coordination within the Campaign, facilitating the working of the various subgroup and making all their material available and documentation. The secretary will work with a group of volunteers to carry out the work.

Working Groups – for depth research/ public action (panel discussions, talks, etc) based on the action plan/resolutions from  the conventions. The subgroups will be set up and coordinators for each group will be nominated at the Campaign Committee meetings. These groups will meet once every month and undertake research and plan activities in keeping with the theme of their group. The research and plan for specific activities including the minutes of these meetings will be submitted to the secretary to inform the Executive Committee and the larger campaign committee

These groups will:

• Commit to attending or nominate a member from the organization to attend regular meetings.
• Not attending three continuous meetings will call for automatic disqualification

 

Transparency Policy

The Campaign Committee of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform is committed to conducting its business in an open and transparent manner, maintaining highest levels of internal accountability and ethical standards. The Committee will demonstrate collective responsibility for all its actions, decisions and policies and will be answerable to the executive group. This transparency policy applies to the working of the CJAR Campaign Committee alone and does not apply to the internal working of the various campaigns/organisations that constitute the Campaign Committee.

Principles:

Organizational Processes:

• All members will be open to membership of organisations and individual committed to the campaign statement and to the transparency principles.
• If any questions or objections are raised about any member of the Campaign committee, the same will be referred to the executive group.
• All questions relating to the compliance or otherwise to the transparency policy of this campaign will be referred to the executive group to take appropriate action.
• Inquiries, concerns and complaints will be responded to in a timely manner.

 

Disclosure Norms:

• Decisions of all meetings will be put out in public domain.
• Decision making of the campaign committee and executive group will be open and transparent.
• The various working groups will conduct their meetings in an accessible and clear manner and decisions of all such meeting will be open to examination by the Executive Committee.
• All CJAR accounts will be maintained, audited and put in public domain.

 

Funding Committee:  It was decided that this Campaign will run as far as possible on public contributions. It was decided that the campaign will prepare a funding policy for the collection and utilization of funds. Members to draft a funding committee:

Nikhil Dey

Indira Unninayar

Prashant Bhushan

Dr. Bhasker Rao – Centre for Media Studies

Vipul Mudgal – Common Cause

Cheryl Dsouza

Members who attended

1. NCPRI –Anjali Bharadwaj, Saumya Gupta, Amrita Johri
2. Lok Raj Sangathan – Dr. Venkatesh
3. Forum for Fast Justice – Raj Kachroo
4. Daksh – Kishore, Surya
5. Pension Parishad – Akhila Sivadas, Jamshed
6. National Federation of Housing Rights – Anil Kumar
7. Fight for Judical Reforms – Gulshan Pahuja
8. Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy – Alok Prasanna Kumar
9. NAPM – Meera, Krishnakant
10. Right to Food Campaign – Dipa Sinha, Avinash
11. Centre for Media Studies – Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao
12. Nikhil Dey
13. Siddharta Sharma
14. Devvrat
15. Indira Unninayar
16. Cheryl Dsouza
17. Prashant Bhushan
18. Ravindra Badgaiyan
19. Rakshita

 

Members nominated to the Executive Committee

1. Convenor – Prashant Bhushan
2. Cheryl Dsouza
3. Devvrat
4. Indira Unninayar
5. Siddharta Sharma
6. Nikhil Dey
7. NCPRI – Anjali Bharadwaj
8. Common Cause – Vipul Mudgal
9. Right to food campaign – Dipa Sinha
10. National Federation for Housing Rights – Indu Prakash Singh
11. DAKSH – Harish Narasappa
12. NAPM – Madhuresh
13. Lok Raj Sanghatan – Dr. Venkatesh
14. NCDHR – Paul Divakar
15. NFIW – Annie Raja

 

Working Groups

Members opted to be a part of various working groups and also nominated a coordinator for each group. These groups will take their mandate from the convention resolutions and follow up important development in the judiciary relating to their various groups.

 

1. Corruption in the Judiciary and its accountability (appointments and NJAC)

Coordinator – Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Alok Prasanna kumar

Prashant Bhushan

Indira Unninayar

Siddharth Sharma

Fight for Judicial Reforms – Gulshan

 

2. RTI and the Judiciary

Coordinator – NCPRI – Anjali Bharadwaj

Amrita

 

3. Judicial Delays

Coordinator – DAKSH – Surya

Forum for Fast Justice

 

4. Judiciary and the environment

Coordinator – Shekhar Singh

Krishnakant

Raj Kachroo

Ritwick Dutta

Mines, minerals and people – Sridhar

 

5. Judiciary and Social Justice

Coordinator – Indu Prakash Singh

Meera

Amita Joseph

Pension Parishad – Jamshed

NCDHR

Right to Food – Dipa

Harsh Mander

Indira Unninayar

 

6. Judiciary and civil liberties

Coordinator –

Siddharth

Manisha Sethi

Dr. Venkatesh

PUCL – Kavita

PUDR

 

7. Judicial Approach to Corruption cases

Coordinator – Common Cause – Vipul Mudgal

NCPRI

Swaraj Abhiyan

Centre for Media Studies

Mr. Hiremat

 

8. Creating a mass movement for judicial accountability and reform

Coordinator – Ravindra Badgayan

Raj Kachroo

Dr. Venkatesh

 

Next meeting Dates

Executive Committee Meeting – 5^th February 2016 4:30p.m.-6p.m.

Campaign Committee meeting – 18^th March 2016  4:30p.m.-7:30p.m.