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| November 13, 2006 | Monday | Shawwal 20, 1427 |
Chief justice stresses timely disposal of cases
PESHAWAR, Nov 12: Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court Tariq Pervez Khan has said that delays in disposal of cases is not only denying timely justice to people, but also affecting overall efficiency of the judiciary.
He was speaking as chief guest at a workshop on "Delay reduction in courts" held here on Sunday. The workshop was a part of efforts to elicit suggestions and recommendations from judicial officers, members of the bar, intellectuals and prosecution. It was attended by district and sessions judges, judical officials and lawyers.
"The delays on part of the courts could be precisely linked to insufficiency of judges, shortage of court staff and lack of required equipment such as computers, printers, etc," he said.
However, he added that despite several constraints, the Peshawar High Court and the district judiciary in the province was doing a wonderful job by clearing huge backlogs.
He hailed the contribution of the Access to Justice Programme under which the Peshawar High Court increased the number of judges in districts and introduced reward scheme for them.
"Continuous monitoring, evaluation and persuasion through a dedicated team of judges have greatly contributed to reducing delays in courts," observed Justice Khan, advising the district judiciary to act with professionalism, greater devotion and responsibility to curb delays and ensure delivery of prompt and quality justice to the masses.
“The responsibility of prompt, inexpensive and easy justice to masses primarily lies with the government and the state,” he said.
In his address, Justice Dost Mohammed Khan highlighted the role of the Bar in reducing delays in courts.
“Lawyers belong to a very noble profession, hold high position in society and wield considerable influence over litigants. They can’t be separated from the justice system,” he said.
"Delay in delivery of justice is the greatest challenge facing the courts today. Backlog of cases has become a huge issue in our country. There is, therefore, a dire need to take care of it," he said.
He said the bar could contribute a lot to delay reduction by strictly observing certain principles.
“Lawyers should come to the courts fully prepared and complete their job without wasting time unnecessarily; punctuality in attending courts should be the hallmark of lawyers; cross-examination should be brief and purpose-oriented; lawyers should avoid browbeating of witnesses, interrupting opponent counsels unnecessarily, arguing with each other and with the court and questioning irrelevant and unimportant witnesses; and they should not accept cases beyond their capacity,” he said.
PHC registrar Mohammed Sher Shah briefed the participants about the efforts of the court to arrest the menace of delays.
“These efforts include appointment of additional judges; introduction of the Time-Bound Delay Reduction Plan, Incentives and Reward Policy; constant and periodical inspections of courts; and formation of Bench-Bar Liaison, and Citizen-Court Liaison committees,” he said, adding: “These measures are yielding positive results though, a lot more needs to be done to fully overcome the problem.”
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