ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: Chief Justice of Pakistan Irshad Hasan Khan said “efficiency” of courts had become a serious national problem, and cautioned that justice should not be sacrificed at the altar of speedy disposition of cases.

Speaking in a meeting of Board of Governors of Federal Judicial Academy here on Saturday, the chief justice observed that Article 37 of the Constitution enjoined upon the state to ensure inexpensive and expeditious justice to the people.

He said it was the duty of a judge to evolve strategies within the parameters of law and procedure for accelerating the pace of disposition of civil and criminal cases with a view to clear the backlog.

“A balance ought to be maintained between two commonly known maxims, “justice delayed is justice denied”, and “justice rushed is justice crushed”.

Justice Irshad said that he was not suggesting that speed and efficiency ought not to be ultimate measures of a court, but it should not be at the expense of justice.

He said judges should participate in the continuing education, as this was an appropriate mean to increase accountability which in turn consolidated judicial independence in a democratic society.

The chief justice said the government had undertaken a legal reforms project in collaboration with the Asian Development Project to address major problems in the administration of justice.