Date:03/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/03/stories/2007110352850300.htm

Other States - Orissa

3 more judges for High Court

Correspondent

Strength to go up to 17; new judges to take oath on November 7

Panel recommends to increase the strength to 27
On an average, 50,000 cases are filed every year

CUTTACK: For the first time, Orissa High Court would have a maximum of 17 judges next week when three additional judges would be sworn in on November 7. Senior advocates of the Bar -- Biswanath Mohapatra, Bhabani Prasad Ray and Subhash Chandra Parija -- have been elevated to the Bench and their warrants of appointments from the President of India arrived here, said High Court Registrar (administration) Niranjan Nayak on Friday.

With these appointments, the strength of the judges in the High Court now went up to 17 including that of the Chief Justice. This would still leave another five sanctioned posts of judges vacant. The High Court was functioning with only 13 judges for the past eight months and it was considered to be the main cause for mounting pending cases.

Pending cases

According to Bar sources, the High Court has nearly two lakh cases pending while various sub-ordinate courts and tribunals in the State have over 10 lakh cases pending disposal. Looking at the backlog of cases in the State, the National Law Commission in 2002 had recommended increasing the strength of the judges of Orissa High Court to 27. The State government, however, agreed to increase the strength to only 22 citing financial constraints.

Owing to lack of sufficient judges, pending cases were increasing threateningly and the trustworthiness of judiciary institution in the State was also questioned at several fora. Even the state High Court Bar Association had gone on strike on many occasions boycotting the court for days together demanding appointment of more judges.

On an average about 50,000 cases are filed in the HC every year and nearly 40,000 cases are disposed of in the same period.

According to statistics available, 50,215 cases were instituted in the High Court during 2002 and 39,296 cases were disposed of during that period. By the end of that year, 1,62,526 cases were pending in the High Court. Similarly in 2004, at least 62,302 cases were instituted while only 46,708 cases were disposed leaving 1,76,770 cases pending by the end of that year. The Bar association in several resolutions earlier had urged the government to increase the strength of judges as recommended by the Law Commission.