New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) The faith of the common man in this criminal justice system is much more than the administration of civil justice, retired Supreme Court Judge Justice V Ramasubramanian said on Wednesday.

Ramasubramanian, who is the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), was speaking at the launch of the country’s first comprehensive criminal law database titled ‘The State of the System’ by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy at the Constitution Club here, a release said.

“As a society, our psyche is tuned to convert all civil cases into criminal cases. As a lawyer, I have seen people who have lent money, who could not get their money back, they used to come to me and tell me that somehow you convert this into a criminal case, so that they get their money back.

“Therefore, despite all the pitfalls, you must admit this reality that despite all the pitfalls of the system of administration of criminal justice, the faith of the common man in this criminal justice system is much more than the administration of civil justice. They have more faith in criminal justice,” the former apex court judge said.

The NHRC chairperson also spoke on the wide-ranging implications of excessive criminalisation from the three perspectives of the citizen’s ease of living, the business community’s compliance burden and the state’s resource allocation.

During the event, a panel discussion was also held.

“The database documents every act and omission criminalised under 370 Union laws enacted over the last 174 years and spanning 45 subject areas. It aims to empower citizens, researchers and policymakers with a deeper understanding of the scope and extent of criminalisation in the country.

It highlights inconsistencies in the prescription of punishments and proposes a principled framework to guide future efforts towards decriminalisation and criminal law-making,” the release said. PTI MNR KSS KSS