The Chief Justice of Madras High Court Sanjay Kishan Kaul on Sunday inaugurated six new judges’ bungalows, including a bigger one meant for the exclusive use of the Chief Justice, behind the main court building on the Madras High Court Bench campus at Ulaganeri here marking the first major infrastructural addition to the court complex since its inauguration on July 24, 2004.
In a function presided over by Justice S. Nagamuthu, the administrative judge of the Bench, he also declared open two screening points constructed at the eastern and western entrance to the court building for frisking of visitors by Central Industrial Security Force personnel. The Chief Justice said he would inaugurate an in-house crèche, a first of its kind facility for the Bench, for the children of women lawyers and court staff on Tuesday.
Four more judges
Addressing a gathering of judicial officers, lawyers and court staff at a conference hall attached to the new Chief Justice’s bungalow, he said the strength of judges in the Madurai Bench shall be increased from 11 to 15 from October 17 when the court shall reopen after Dussera Holidays. Four of the 15 new judges to be sworn in Chennai on Wednesday shall be deputed to the Bench here, he added.
At the time of inauguration in 2004, the High Court Bench was modelled after the Supreme Court and boasted of top-class facilities which included 12 air-conditioned court halls with attached chambers for judges, high ceiling, good acoustics and wood panelling on walls. However, within five years, a need arose for more number of court halls but the funds required for construction of new court halls did not come by.
In 2009, the court administration converted four large rooms in the administrative block into court halls with attached chambers for the judges. Though this arrangement could mean that only 16 judges could be accommodated, the Chief Justice said he would increase the strength to 19 after the next lot of judges are appointed and increase the number of Division Benches functioning here from two to three.
Three of the judges, who would be part of the Division Benches, would require only chambers and not court halls and “Mr. Justice Nagamuthu has already taken up the task of making available three more chambers.” He also said there would not be any paucity of judges after the allotment of 19 judges who could occupy 12 existing bungalows apart from five new bungalows and two more meant for the Registrars accommodated elsewhere.
Pendency of cases
The Chief Justice also commended the present set of judges for making a “successful endeavour” to reduce the number of pending cases. “We have had difficult times with less number of judges. In last two years, we have tried to see that the disposal is at least 90 per cent of filing so that the accumulation is not more than 10 per cent. We are striving to dispose of more cases than filing. That is the intent we should look to.
“If there was zero pendency, the number of judges at present is enough to deal with the matters. But we have to look to what is accumulated and that is our endeavour,” he told the gathering. As per statistics available with The Hindu , the Bench had 74,469 civil cases; 14,013 criminal cases and 95,344 miscellaneous petitions pending as on December 31 last and began this year with a total pendency of 1,83,826 cases.
Thereafter, 16,296 civil cases; 12,532 criminal cases; and 21,288 miscellaneous petitions were filed between January 1 and June 30 during which period the Bench disposed of 13,317 civil cases; 11,330 criminal cases; and 19,468 miscellaneous petitions. It effectively meant that as against a total number of 50,116 cases filed in the first half of this year, the court could dispose of only 44,115 cases, thereby adding 6,001 cases to the list of pending cases.
Mr. Justice Nagamuthu said proposals had been sent to construct sheds for CISF personnel. The work of clearing septic tanks had already begun with 28 lorry loads having been cleared and around 100 more to be cleared during weekends.
Expressing happiness over the new additions, a section of court staff said they would be more happy if the court administration lays a pucca approach road to their vehicle parking stand besides providing drinking water facilities with a Reverse Osmosis plant, clean toilets and separate wash basins for washing hands and lunch boxes, without forcing the staff to go to the stinking toilets inside the administrative block of the main court building.
Madurai Bench will get 15 judges from October 17 and 19 judges soon thereafter
Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul
The proposed in-house creche will be a boon for women lawyers and court staff
Justice S. Nagamuthu
Administrative judge of Madurai Bench
