Boris Johnson to banish UK Judicial Review procedure, experts fear 'damage to justice'

The UK government is now set to limit the procedure of challenging official decisions. The Ministry of Justice called it "a time saving" module, and the experts now fear the new amendment would damage justice. Judicial review gives the power to challenge any decision taken by the public body. The plea can be filed before a High Court judge. It is said that the procedure is usually seen as a check 'whether the administrators are obeying the legislation set by the Parliament.

UK Judicial review had once slammed Prime Minister Johnson decision

The importance of the could be sensed when Prime Minister Boris Johnson illegally closed the Parliament ahead of Brexit-- a withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It was the judicial review that leads the Supreme Court's to intervene in the matter. However, the critics of the judicial review asserted that the process led by High Court judges has to go beyond their role in upholding the law. The political decisions must be left to the Parliament, it added. 

Proposed Bill would provide a shield to ministers

On the other hand, those who are in favour of the judicial review said that the proposal would bar the judiciary to scrutinise the entire decision, which provides a protective shield to the ministers to a certain extent. Lord Chancellor and justice secretary, Robert Buckland, while speaking to BBC said that the proposed Bill would make sure that the courts are not open to abuse and delay and added that the Bill would cater a balancing tool between the citizens right and government. "While throwing out those who aspire to waste the court's precious time as well as working with an agenda to frustrate the judges. With the new proposal, we are giving powers to the judges to make the government more accountable to the public." President of the Law Society, Stephanie Boyce, who also represents solicitors told BBC that the proposal would weaken the trust as well as the process to check whether the public body is abiding by the law made by the Parliament or not and added that the move would have a chilling effect on justice.

(With inputs from AP)

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