PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has decided to operationalise the ‘small claims and minor offences courts’ across the province for the early disposal of civil and criminal cases falling in their jurisdiction.

A news release issued by the court said under the Small Claims and Minor Offence Ordinance, 2002, the courts would be headed by the respective civil judge-cum-judicial magistrates and would be make quick decisions on small claims of less than Rs100,000.

They will also decide minor offences, whose punishment is less than three years imprisonment.

The courts will function at district and tehsil levels to ensure speedy justice to people and minimise the cost of litigation.

The high court directed all district and sessions judges to operationalise these courts and maintain separate registers for them.

PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth directed the director (inspections) at the Secretariat of District Judiciary to act as focal person for the monitoring of the establishment of these courts and analyse their performance, especially institution and disposal of cases.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2018