KARACHI: With a conviction rate of 27.27 per cent, district courts of Sindh disposed of 33,565 cases and convicted accused in 9,154 cases in the nine months of the current year, it emerged on Tuesday.

The acquittal rate stood at 72.73pc.

Overall disposal rate in the subordinate judiciary stood at almost 69pc in the province, as the courts disposed of 217,634 cases.

Statistics show a rise of 35.87pc in backlog of cases

However, the statistics also showed a rise of 35.87pc in the backlog as a total of 103,611 cases were pending trial by the end of September. There were 97,638 cases pending in the lower courts on Dec 31, 2017.

According to the collective data, obtained by Dawn, around 42,351 criminal cases are pending trial before the district courts.

It suggested that 27 judicial districts of the province acquitted accused in 24,411 cases from Jan 1 to Sept 30. The acquittal rate stood at 72.73pc.

However, the collective conviction rate of five Karachi district courts stood at around 36pc. Karachi-Malir courts topped the list with a 42.34pc conviction rate.

Karachi-South district courts decided 3,124 cases with 1,209 convictions, East district courts 2,962 cases with 1,069 convictions, West district courts 2,989 cases with 878 convictions, Central district 2,287 cases with 801 convictions and Malir district courts disposed of 1,691 cases with 716 convictions from Jan 1 till Sept 30.

The Hyderabad district courts decided 1,709 cases with 415 convictions, Dadu 1,312 cases with 154 convictions, Badin 1,147 cases with 472 convictions, Thatta 857 cases with 265 convictions, Mirpurkhas 848 cases with 306 convictions, Sanghar 1,454 cases with 654 convictions, Mithi 262 cases with 112 convictions and Sukkur district courts disposed of 965 cases with 194 convictions.

Similarly, district courts of Shaheed Benazirabad disposed of 1,044 cases with 294 convictions, Naushahro Feroze 1,262 cases with 132 convictions, Khairpur 1,664 cases with 234 convictions, Ghotki 903 cases with 133 convictions, Larkana 757 cases with 94 convictions, Shikarpur 812 cases with 87 convictions, Jacobabad 914 cases with 149 cases, Umerkot 369 cases with 121 convictions, Jamshoro 794 cases with 198 convictions, Matiari 551 cases with 60 convictions, Tando Mohammad Khan 553 cases with 85 convictions, Tando Allahyar 341 cases with 83 convictions, Kashmore/Kandhkot 923 cases with 52 convictions and Qambar/Shahdadkot 1,071 cases with 187 convictions.

Special courts

The four anti-corruption courts of the province decided 114 cases from Jan 1 till Sept 30, according to the statistics.

The conviction rate remained eight per cent in the provincial anti-graft courts, where 1,425 cases were still pending trial.

The conviction rate remained 13.20pc, in 53 antiterrorism courts of Sindh, which disposed of 2,386 cases in eight months of the current year. The accused in 2,071 cases were acquitted and 315 were convicted till Aug 31. The number of cases still pending trial was 2,878.

Overall disposal and backlog

The overall disposal rate remained almost 69pc in the district judiciary of the province, as the courts disposed of 217,634 cases from Jan 1 till Sept 30.

Overall around 103,611 cases — including litigation in civil, criminal and family matters — were pending trial before the district courts.

Sindh had the second highest number of pending cases after Punjab, where around 1,095,542 cases were pending, according to the official statistics compiled till Sept 30.

The statistics suggested that there was a backlog of 97,634 across the lower judiciary on Dec 31, 2017.

The official figures showed that 217,481 new cases were instituted in the district courts in the last nine months.

The district courts decided overall 217,634 cases — including 160,176 — till Sept 30.

The figures suggested a rise of 35.87pc in the backlog.

In Karachi four districts had around 48,226 cases pending disposal till Sept 30, according to the statistics.

Karachi-East district courts topped with the highest number of 15,248 cases pending trial, South had 11,775, West 10,887, Central 10,316 cases and Malir had 5,704 cases pending trial.

The overall statistics suggested that the contesting parties in more than 2,600 cases opted for compromise.

The subordinate courts decided 1,900 murder cases and 5,055 were still pending, the Hudood Ordinance (2,176 disposed of and 628 were pending), the Narcotic Substances (3,581 disposed of and 2,709 pending), the Illicit Arms (1,338 disposed of and 1,381 were pending), the Foreigners Act (298 cases disposed of and 268 pending).

The courts decided 148 cases registered under violations of the Environmental Act and 52 were pending, the Lunacy Act (one case decided and five were pending), Election Petitions (80 disposed of and 79 pending), Mental Health law (16 disposed of and 13 were pending).

The statistics showed that overall 16,792 family suits were disposed of while 8,126 were pending, family appeals (883 disposed of and were 1,050 pending), guardian and wards (1,044 disposed of and 857 were pending), the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 (all 17 cases disposed of).

The courts decided 12 cases of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013 while seven cases were still pending. Overall three human rights petitions were disposed of while 19 cases of explosive substances were disposed of and 18 were pending.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018