ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has put in place a mechanism to monitor trial of criminal cases across the country under an expeditious justice initiative.

According to sources, a monitoring and evaluation cell has been established to monitor on a regular basis trial of cases at model criminal trial courts (MCTC) being set up in each district of the country.

A new grade-22 post has been created in the Supreme Court and Islamabad District and Sessions Judge Sohail Nasir has been appointed the director general of the monitoring cell.

According to a notification issued with the approval of Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Judge Sohail Nasir will monitor expeditious justice initiative and will report directly to the chief justice.

He will not be entitled to draw any salary, allowance, perks and privileges from the Supreme Court.

A summary on expeditious justice initiative was prepared by the federal judicial academy and it was recently approved by the national judicial policy-making committee, headed by the chief justice.

Under the plan, the high court will nominate one judge for MCTC in each district in consultation with the D&SJ concerned. Each MCTC will be manned by an additional sessions judge.

In districts where there is no additional sessions judge posted, the court of sessions judge may be notified as the MCTC.

The MCTCs will be housed in spacious courtrooms with digital facility and uninterrupted power supply and these will be fully equipped and furnished so as to remain online with the monitoring cell round the clock.

A detailed trial protocol will be given to each MCTC by the monitoring and evaluation cell. It will contain broad trial management parameters in line with the existing legal provisions for compliance.

The trial management regimen will include trial scheduling.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2019