PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 931
opposed to the Fundamental Rights in the Constitution, and whether such a piece of legislation does not require modification at the hands of the Law Department or the Home Department.
There are two other Acts which are, so to say, correlative to this Bombay Hereditary Village Officers Act. One is the Bombay Revenue Jurisdiction Act, and the other is the Pensions Act. (Seeing the Home Minister rising from his seat) My hon. Friend finds it too hot perhaps.
Dr. K. N. Katju : I find it too cool on the other hand.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It will be hotter as I go on.
Both these Acts prevent access to the judiciary for any wrong that may have been done by the officers, the Director, or the Commissioner or the Minister. No relief can be had from the courts, because the Revenue Jurisdiction Act says that the courts shall not have any jurisdiction either to alter or to modify or to revise the decision of the Collector, who is an executive officer. The Pension Act says that no one who has any kind of inam shall be entitled to go to court and the court shall not exercise any jurisdiction unless it obtains a certificate from the Collector that the case may be tried by the court. It is quite impossible, therefore, for these poor people to have any kind of remedy against the many injustices which are being practised under the name of this particular Act. If I had remained as Law Minister, it was my intention to carry out these reforms, but I think it is the duty of any Law Minister and particularly of the Home Minister to look into our laws and to find out to what extent the laws are in conflict with the Fundamental Rights. I am sorry to say, Sir, that both these departments are the most laziest departments that I have ever seen. They have neither the zeal nor the urge or the conscience to move in this matter. They have no idealism either. I hope that, after what I have said, they will be spurred to some kind of action in this matter and to see that relief is given where relief seems necessary. Well, Sir, this is what I wanted to say by way of preliminary observations. I will now turn to the Bill itself.