SUKKUR, Jan 9: Sindh Chief Justice Syed Saeed Ashhad has said that there is a backlog of some 50,000 cases in the Sindh High Court.

He said this while speaking on Tuesday night at a dinner hosted by the president of the Sukkur Bench of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Gul Bahar.

Stressing on the need for quick dispensation of justice, the chief justice said decline in the performance of the judiciary reflects the prevailing social trends.

Agreeing with a questioner, he agreed that like other segments of society, the judicial profession was also showing signs of decline, adding: “After all we are also part of this society.”

Replying to a query regarding vacant posts of judges at the Sukkur court, the chief justice said they would soon be filled.

Referring to the suo moto action taken by the judges of the high court regarding tribal feuds, the chief justice ruled out any role of the high court, saying that it was an administrative issue.

He said that the success of the new Panchayat Committee System — which is a part of the power devolution plan — would depend on the people running the system. Panchayat committees would deal with small cases instead of sending them to the courts, he added.

He said that steps were being taken to improve the judicial system, through holding workshops and refresher courses for the lower judiciary in and outside Pakistan.

The chief justice said that a training course for judges was recently held in Singapore, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank.

Talking about the role of the SHC during his tenure, he said that efforts were being made, despite financial constraints, for providing justice to the litigants.

Praising the bars for their cooperation, he said that a very good spirit existed between the bar and bench.

Earlier, he discussed matters related with the bar and the professional problems with the president of the HCBA, Sukkur, the president of the Sukkur district Bar, Bhajandas Tejwani, former member of the Supreme Court Bar Managing Committee, Ghulam Qadir Jatoi, former president of the HCBA, Sukkur, Imdad Awan, and others.

Justice Zahid Qurban Alvi, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani, Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and other judges also attended the dinner.

TRAINING: A one-day training programme on ‘Enhancing Human Productivity and Management Skills’ will be held on Jan 14 at the Sukkur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.