October 28, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 15, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: Senior judge of Supreme Court Mr Justice Rana Bhagwandas on Saturday said that the prolonged adjournments of cases should not be used as a tool for delaying justice by the courts.

“Adjournments are granted on the grounds, which clearly defeat the provisions and purpose of the law. District and sessions judges must discourage this trend in the interest of justice and justice seekers,” he said at a concluding ceremony of two-day workshop on ‘Delay reduction techniques-cum-training of the trainers” held here at the Federal Judicial Academy. The workshop was arranged for district and sessions judges from the four provinces in collaboration with Access to Justice Programme.

Mr Bhagwandas said inordinate delay in dispensation of justice engenders a feeling of disillusionment and frustration among the litigants. He observed delayed justice loomed large as a threat to erode the confidence of the people in the judicial system. “With the increase in the rate of pending cases and decline of pronouncements of judgments, our society now believes that “Justice delayed is Justice denied,” he said.

‘Justice hurried is justice buried’ is a famous maxim, hence judge should not also bury justice, Mr Bhagwandas said. He advised the district and session judges to dispose of the old cases which were pending with the courts since decades, adding, “it does not mean that you may not take up new cases but do dispense speedy justice to poor litigants”.

“Effective case management depends on effective court management,” the Justice said, adding, that the delay in presenting and submitting of documents generally led to adjournments. He advised the judges of district judiciary to discourage the culture of frivolous litigations in the courts

He advised the district and sessions judges to decide the cases on merit and do not waste time and resources both of the court and justice seekers going into technicalities.

On the occasion, Director Access to Justice Program Muhammad Afzal Kahut highlighted the aims and objectives of the workshop. He said it was imperative to explore ways and means to reduce the delay in dispensation of justice to enhance people’s confidence in subordinate judiciary.

Director General of the academy Moazzam Hayat paid tribute to Justice Rana Bhagwandas by saying “My Lord Rana Bhagwandas is now not only known to every Pakistani, wherever he is living and to whichever profession he/ she belongs. He lives in their hearts because of his integrity, honesty and landmark decisions.”

“In fact Honourable Justice Rana Bhangwandas is now known all over the world as one of the best judges produced by our country,” he concluded.

At the end, Mr Bhagwandas awarded certificates to fifteen district and sessions judges from four provinces.