JOIN USThe Law Commission headed by Justice A R Lakshmanan in its report submitted to Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said: “We have recommended that a Constitution Bench be set up at Delhi to deal with constitutional and other allied issues and four cassation benches to be set up in the northern region at Delhi, the southern region at Chennai/ Hyderabad, the eastern region at Kolkata and the western region at Mumbai to deal with all appellate work.’’
The four regional benches will hear the appeals from various high courts of the region and work as “judicial courts of last resort” having the power to review and quash the decision of any court below it.
In the latest report submitted to the law minister this week, the panel recommended division citing “an unbearable load of arrears” on the apex court.
By creating four benches, the backlog of the cases and unbearable cost of litigation for those living in far-flung areas of the country would be reduced, said the report.
The cases pending before the apex court are about 55,000. And the court is now hearing the cases filed in 1998.
“Constitutional adjudication or determination of constitutional controversies by the Supreme Court has its own importance.
This includes the authority to rule on whether or not laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional,” the Commission said.