PESHAWAR, June 24: The Peshawar High Court has directed all the district and sessions judges and additional DSJs to submit details of the five oldest cases pending with them.

It is learnt that Chief Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan has issued a circular to the DSJs and ADSJs asking them to submit the details of five oldest cases in which the accused are in prison and those in which the accused are not in custody.

The court has also asked for the reasons for the delay in the disposal of the cases.

Sources said the high court had also issued directives to the judges asking them to submit weekly reports about the progress in the cases pending since long.

The PHC has directed the courts to dispose of the oldest cases at  the earliest.

The high court, by adopting measures to clear the backlog, specially of criminal appeals and revisions, has been able to take up for hearing  appeals in which judgments were delivered by the trial courts early this year. A year ago, the court was hearing appeals pertaining to judgments delivered more than three years back.