June 19, 2007
The courts of law shall finally open its doors to the needy and poor. With the setting up of around 7000 new courts across the country over the next couple of years, law in India shall take a turn for the better, especially for the weaker sections of the society. This was announced by the Chief Justice of India, Justice K G Balakrishnan, who assured that the new courts shall provide easy and affordable justice to the needier group. He was addressing a Legal Awareness Campaign in Srinagar, organized by the J&K State Legal Services Authority.
Though Indian legal system is among the best legal systems of the world, it still fails to be within reach of a poor litigant. While the economically sound litigants can endure the expenses incurred during the long fight for justice, the poorer ones are subject to apathy. All this is expected to be a thing of the past as now everyone shall have equal opportunities to justice. The extended courts shall also lessen the burden on the already crumbling state of the courts in India. They shall help provide speedy disposition of the over 2. 5 crores pending cases that include all heinous crimes against humanity, and property litigations. Diminishing backlogs shall in turn expedite judicial proceedings and improve the quality of judgments.
The structure of the new courts shall include a Nyay Adhikari, appointed by the Public Service Commission of the High Court. He shall be responsible for carrying out the adjudication of cases as per Indian Penal Code and award punishments not exceeding one year. The cost of the project shall be borne equally by the State and Central governments.