Date:25/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/25/stories/2006072518280100.htm

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High Court Bench completes two years

Mohamed Imranullah S.

It has so far adjudicated thousands of cases

MADURAI : The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday completed two years since its inauguration on July 24, 2004. Exercising jurisdiction over 13 districts — Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Karur, Pudukottai, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Theni, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari — the Bench has so far adjudicated thousands of cases.

Initially, it began to function with 21,996 criminal revision, second appeals and other civil cases, pertaining to southern districts, transferred from the principal seat in Chennai. Despite facing several hurdles, such as insufficient strength of Judges and staff during its nascent stages, the Bench has overcome many of them, registering a steady growth with 59,871 fresh cases being filed as on July 21.

In the last two years, it has disposed of totally 42,454 cases, including the transferred petitions as well as freshly instituted cases. Of all, criminal original petitions, which include bail and anticipatory bail petitions, have topped the chart with 22,013 petitions being disposed of out of 22,556 filed so far. Since many writ petitions are yet to be taken up for final hearing, the category recorded a disposal rate of only 13,065 out of 22,831 petitions filed since the inception of the Bench.