20 Oct 2023 5:50 AM GMT
Expressing serious concerns at the pendency of cases in the country, the Supreme Court has issued a slew of directions to ensure the speedy disposal of cases.
A bench comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Aravind Kumar issued eleven directions to the High Courts for ensuring speedy trial and to monitor the disposal of cases, especially those pending for over 5 years.
While delivering judgment in a civil appeal, the bench noted with anguish that the litigating started in the trial court in 1982 and has dragged on for 43 years. The bench said that it has noted country wide statistics of pendency from the National Judicial Data Grid and said that joint efforts are needed from the bar and the bench to address the issue.
The judgment underscored that litigants will lose confidence in the judicial system when the delay continues. W
"Litigants may become disillusioned when the legal process moves at a snail pace...We have expressed our anguish where some litigations pending since 50 years are also pending as per National Judicial Data Grid. Some of the oldest cases are in West Bengal, UP and Maharashtra which are over 65 years old," Justice Aravind Kumar stated while reading out the operative portion of the judgment.
"Litigants should be circumspect in seeking adjournments and should not take goodness of the presiding officers as their weakness", Justice Kumar read out from the judgment. Justice Kumar said that a total of eleven directions have been issued, which will be known once the judgment is uploaded. Directions have been issued to the Chief Justices of the High Courts to form committees to monitor the pendency of the cases. The committee shall meet at least once tow months and shall monitor old cases, especially those pending for over five years.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Court was directed to circulate the judgment to all High Courts.
To be updated after the judgment is uploaded.