One judge, 275 cases a day— stage set for speedy disposal

One judge, 275 cases a day— stage set for speedy disposal

RAGHAV OHRI

Posted online: Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 2352 hrs IST

Chandigarh, May 09
A Minute and 20 seconds. That’s the time a lower court judge gets to hear and decide a case on an average. While the number of cases being filed in the UT District Courts has gone up by 70 per cent this year, the number of judges is still the same. The court staff, meanwhile, has shrunk.

The situation was a tad better in 2007 when a judge had to hear around 200-220 cases every day. In 2008, judges have no other option but to adjourn cases for 8 to 10 months. By doing this, the judges not only reduce the total number of cases which have to be decided every day but also get time to go through cases before taking a decision.

“We are being criticised for adjourning cases but we are helpless. We are not computers that we can hear all the cases, record contentions of both the parties and decide within two minutes. We give long dates under compulsion so that we can reduce the total number of cases and give adequate time to each case. If we don’t do this, it is impossible for anyone to hear and decide a case within a minute,” said a judge.

Every court has a minimum of 7,000 pending cases. More than 60 per cent of these are criminal cases and the majority of them are cheque bounce cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act.

For the last two years, no fresh recruitment for the post of magistrate or judge has been made in the UT District Courts. At present, there are 19 magistrates in the UT District Courts.

The number of court staff has considerably decreased in the last six months. While some of them have retired, a few of them have been promoted to the High Court. The local courts are now left with a few senior employees.

* Working hours in UT District Courts 10 am-1 pm and 2 pm-4 pm 5 hours = 300 minutes
* Average number of cases which come up for hearing before a judge every day: 250 to 275
* Time available to handle a case One minute 20 seconds

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One judge, 275 cases a day— stage set for speedy disposal RAGHAV OHRI Posted online: Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 2352 hrs IST Chandigarh, May 09 A Minute and 20 seconds. That’s the time a lower court judge gets to hear and decide a case on an average. While the number of cases being filed in the UT District Courts has gone up by 70 per cent this year, the number of judges is still the same. The court staff, meanwhile, has shrunk. The situation was a tad better in 2007 when a judge had to hear around 200-220 cases every day. In 2008, judges have no other option but to adjourn cases for 8 to 10 months. By doing this, the judges not only reduce the total number of cases which have to be decided every day but also get time to go through cases before taking a decision. “We are being criticised for adjourning cases but we are helpless. We are not computers that we can hear all the cases, record contentions of both the parties and decide within two minutes. We give long dates under compulsion so that we can reduce the total number of cases and give adequate time to each case. If we don’t do this, it is impossible for anyone to hear and decide a case within a minute,” said a judge. Every court has a minimum of 7,000 pending cases. More than 60 per cent of these are criminal cases and the majority of them are cheque bounce cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act. For the last two years, no fresh recruitment for the post of magistrate or judge has been made in the UT District Courts. At present, there are 19 magistrates in the UT District Courts. The number of court staff has considerably decreased in the last six months. While some of them have retired, a few of them have been promoted to the High Court. The local courts are now left with a few senior employees. * Working hours in UT District Courts 10 am-1 pm and 2 pm-4 pm 5 hours = 300 minutes * Average number of cases which come up for hearing before a judge every day: 250 to 275 * Time available to handle a case One minute 20 seconds