BANGKOK, 25 April 2015 – On the fifth day of the deliberation of the first constitution draft, the National Reform Council discussed a total of 59 sections covering the rule of law and the court’s roles.
A member of Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC), Banjerd Singhkaneti, told the meeting that the new draft highlights transparency and would provide unity to the court.
He also defended the CDC’s decision to include the clause that requires at least one outsider in every 3 members of the Judicial Commission, saying it does not mean that the CDC is leaving gaps for politicians to interfere with the court’s work, but would rather keep the judge’s perspective fresh.
Most of the NRC members however disagreed with the idea, saying outsiders always invite interference from the political sector. The meeting also proposed the idea of having both the Appeal and Supreme courts be able to handle political related cases. Another NRC member suggested establishment of a district level court to help low-income earners to settle their legal matters.
