LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has announced a ‘reform package’ to enhance public service delivery and judicial efficiency in the district judiciary including e-filing of petitions.

The decisions were made at a meeting chaired by acting Chief Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on Wednesday.

All the district & sessions judges of Punjab attended the meeting via video link while the LHC registrar, director general (district judicial) and other officials were present.

A statement issued by the LHC said the reforms have been designed to improve overall functioning of the judicial system, provide better facilities to lawyers and litigants, and ensure the welfare of judges, court staff, and the general public.

Acting Chief Justice Khan stressed upon the enhancement of public service delivery, and issued directions for the establishment of comfortable waiting areas and clean toilet facilities, with a special focus on vulnerable sections of society.

E-filing of petitions is a part of the plan

He said QR-coded documents will be generated for easy access to judgments and orders, and an online complaint system will be integrated with the LHC’s mobile application.

He said a “Adlia Sahulat Centre” (Courts Facilitation Centre) will be established with an aim to provide a one-window operation for lawyers and litigants, including case filing, early hearing applications, case tracking, and attestation of power of attorney from jail.

The centre will be integrated with Khidmat Markaz of Police and the price control magistrates will also be made more active and efficient.

The meeting decided that the Provincial Criminal Justice Coordination Committee (PCJCC) will meet on a quarterly basis, chaired by the chief justice to ensure effective coordination among stakeholders.

It said the Police Station Record Management System (PSRMS) will be integrated with the prosecution, prison, and case management system.

It decided that e-filing of petitions and submission of online comments from police will be implemented and a dedicated portal for e-filing of 22 A & B petitions (for registration of FIRs) will also be established.

The meeting decided that a committee comprising sessions judges, DCs, DPOs, DSPs legal, and ADCGs in the respective districts will meet monthly to address issues faced by lawyers, judges and court staff. Digital libraries will be established at tehsil and district bar levels.

The meeting resolved to introduce several reforms on institutional betterment and courts will be uplifted to hear cases relating to gender-based violence and overseas Pakistanis on a priority basis.

It decided that special modules for judicial officers on Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) and mediation will be prepared besides general training programmes for civil judges and additional district & sessions judges on better judgment writing.

The acting CJ showed his commitment to working towards a paperless environment, saying effective steps will be taken in this regard.

The meeting further decided to ensure foolproof security of the premises of LHC, district courts and residences of the judicial officers. It said energy conservation measures by installation of solar technology will be implemented and IT-based initiatives including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as per the guidelines issued by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024