JOIN USWill help reduce pendency of cases, Modi tells CJI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday advocated the use of technology for speedy delivery of justice, and assured CJI J S Khehar that the government will make all efforts to back his resolve to reduce the pendency of cases.
Modi also asked startups to come up with innovations that could aid the judicial system to dispose of cases expeditiously.
“The government wants that the judicial system of our country makes full use of information and communication technology. This should be given priority,” he said, adding, “This can help save a lot of time and money.”
Addressing a function to mark 150 years of the Allahabad High Court, Modi said, “I assure the Chief Justice of India that the government will back his sankalp (resolve) to bring down the burden on the judiciary and reduce pendency of cases.”
He also said video-conferencing should be used for deposition made in courts by undertrials, witnesses and officials to prevent wastage of time and money.
“So many precious hours of officials, which should have been spent doing administrative tasks, get used up in travelling to far-off places to appear in courts. This can be obviated through video-conferencing,” he said. The prime minister said security concerns associated with the physical production of undertrials in courts could be addressed through video-conferencing.
Many unfortunate incidents have taken place in Uttar Pradesh during the transportation of undertrials to courts, but with Yogi Adityanath as chief minister, there may be a drop in such incidents, Modi remarked, evoking peals of laughter.
Modi recalled that during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign, he had said that he would abolish archaic laws if elected. The government has now done away with 1,200 redundant laws, he remarked.
Three benches to sit during vacation
Three Constitution benches will sit during the summer vacation of the Supreme Court to help reduce the number of pending cases, Chief Justice J S Khehar said here on Sunday, PTI reports from Allahabad.
He also requested the judges to consider sitting in courts for five days during the vacation to clear at least 10 cases daily and bring down the backlog.
“This way, thousands of small matters like matrimonial disputes and mediation cases can be settled and arrears of cases brought down,” Justice Khehar said in his address at the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Allahabad High Court.
“At the Supreme Court, we will set up three five-judge benches for hearing important matters like triple talaq during vacations,” he said.
A Constitution bench will hear petitions challenging triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy from May 11.