The Hindu : National : CJs meet to study disposal of cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

CJs meet to study disposal of cases

J. Venkatesan

To favour opening of ‘evening’ courts

Long delay will defeat justice
in a number of
cases: note
To take up revision of salary and allowances of judges

NEW DELHI: A two-day conference of Chief Justices of High Courts, presided over by Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan began here on Thursday to devise ways and means to expedite disposal of cases and to streamline and improve the justice delivery system.

The meet, among other things, will consider the recommendations of the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on ‘Ethics in Governance,’ viz., a legal provision needs to be introduced fixing a time limit for various stages of trial by suitable amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code; evolve steps to ensure that cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act are held on a day-to-day basis: lay down guidelines to preclude unwarranted adjournments and avoidable delays and consider the recommendations of the Malimath Committee for increasing the working days of High Courts.

Grievance redressal

A note annexed to the agenda says, “Those who have suffered physically, mentally or economically, approach the Courts, with great hope, for redressal of their grievances. They refrain from taking law into their own hands, as they believe that one day or the other, they would get justice from the Courts.”

The note says:

“There is growing criticism, sometimes from uninformed or ill-informed quarters, about the inability of our Courts to effectively deal with and wipe out the huge backlog of cases. Long delay has also the effect of defeating justice in quite a number of cases.

“As a result of such delay, the possibility cannot be ruled out of loss of important evidence, because of fading of memory or death of witnesses. The problem of delay and huge arrears stares us all and unless we can do something about it, the whole system would get crushed under its weight.”

‘Morning’ and ‘evening’ courts

The meet will to consider the efficacy of introducing ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ courts in States.

In Andhra Pradesh, morning courts are functioning from 7.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. five days a week. In Gujarat, 89 ‘evening courts’ are functioning and they had disposed of 2, 89,801 cases from November 14, 2006 to March 4, 2008.

The meet will also to take up the revision of salary and allowances of Supreme Court and High Court judges in view of pay revision of Central employees and to consider increasing the age of retirement of High Court judges.

Joint conference

The conference will be followed by a joint conference of Chief Ministers and CJs at Vigyan Bhawan on April 19. It will addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National