The Hindu : `Fast track courts target not met'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 26, 2003

National

National

`Fast track courts target not met'

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI June 25. The Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, P.C. Thomas, today reviewed the progress of the setting up of Fast Track Courts (FTCs).

Addressing a one-day conference of Law and Home Secretaries of various States and Registrars General of High Courts, he said against the target of 1,734 FTCs, only 1,334 had so far been created. Of them, 1,025 had become operational, though the Supreme Court had said that all FTCs must become operational by August 2002.

The meeting was informed that as on April 30, fast track courts had disposed of 81,589 of the 2,14,220 cases transferred to them.

The Minister said it was intriguing that States such as Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra, where the backlog of cases was 10 lakhs and above (it is more than 30 lakhs in Gujarat and Maharashtra), were slow in setting up FTCs.

He was surprised that States were not taking full advantage of the scheme, when it was fully paid by the Centre.

Such tardy progress called for a serious evaluation and review at the State level and the Centre would extend support in every possible manner.

Pointing out that there were more than 2,000 vacant posts in the subordinate judiciary, the Minister urged the States to make special efforts to quickly fill them up.

On computerisation of the city courts, he said Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi had been provided the required funds and Project Monitoring Committees had been formed on these cities.

Pointing out that there was no structured programme to train judges, Mr. Thomas said the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, in collaboration with the British Council, had started training programmes for judicial officers in a few areas.

The meeting was also informed that proposals worth Rs. 5,307 crores had been presented to the 12th Finance Commission for infrastructural facilities for the judiciary in the next five years; Rs. 867 crores for the existing FTCs; Rs. 825 crores for the creation of another 1,500 FTCs; Rs. 1,265 crores for computerisation of 21 High Courts and 600 district courts; Rs. 1,950 crores for serious infrastructural deficiencies for the judiciary and Rs. 400 crores for setting up more family courts.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National