PESHAWAR, Sept 5: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan on Thursday said the legislature and the executive had not been fulfilling their respective constitutional obligations and therefore, the judiciary had to interfere sometime in the administrative and legislative affairs for saving the system from collapsing.

“The judiciary can’t sit as silent spectators and see the country image continue to tarnish. If the government really wants to help the people, it should avoid acting against the law and make proper legislation and positive amendments to the existing laws,” he said after inaugurating two capsule elevators for elder and handicapped persons here at the high court.

Two elevators have been installed in the high court as previously there was no proper mechanism available for elderly and disabled visitors to reach the courtrooms, especially those using wheelchairs.

Director planning and development of the high court Qaisar Rahim explained the salient features of the project and said around Rs22.76 million was spent on the project.

The chief justice said only the removal of lacunas from laws could help the country progress.

He said currently, the country was facing conspiracies of enemies but the judiciary was capable of thwarting them all.

About the recently launched mobile court in Peshawar, Justice Dost Mohammad dispelled the impression created by certain quarters that it would remained limited to the provincial capital for security reasons and said five more such courts would soon begin functioning in Chitral, Swat, Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu.

He said the mobile court in Peshawar had disposed of 29 out of 30 cases placed before it during the last week visit to Hayatabad, which was adjacent to tribal areas.

The chief justice said the human rights directorate of the high court had disposed of around 70 per cent of complaints/applications received by it.

He said keeping in view the performance of the directorate, the World Bank had agreed to fund another project which would help the people lodge complaints to the directorate electronically.

Justice Dost Mohammad said all benches of the court would be inter-linked through computer and would include case tracking system.

He said the installation of elevators for litigants was his dream and he had seen with great pain elders and disabled persons use stairs with great difficulty to reach the courtrooms.

The chief justice said the high court had so far provided high quality benches, water filtration plants and electric water coolers to all the district judicial complexes, tehsil complexes and circuit benches of the court.

He said currently, work was in progress on two circuit benches of the high court at Chitral and Bannu, six district judicial complexes and the same number of tehsil complexes.

About the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy, Justice Dost Mohammad said the court would soon hire services of experts from Scotland Yard and German Police to impart training of forensic science at the academy.

He said the training would be given to sessions judges, DIGs, SPs and prosecutors.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.