CJ reserves Tuesday, Thursday for final hearing of pending matters
JAMMU: In a major move towards clearing the pendency, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has decided to take up on priority the cases awaiting adjudication for more than 10 years and 20 years.
Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh on Friday directed for preparing a list of the cases pending for long and classifying them as ‘target cases’.
The chief justice ordered that the court will keep two days in a week exclusively for taking up the matters which are pending before the High Court for more than 10 years, even as the cases which are more than 20 years old would remain on board of the roster bench till final disposal.
The significant measures came as the judiciary in Jammu and Kashmir continues to suffer from high pendency, both before the High Court and the subordinate courts. While the pace of litigation has increased over the years, the deficiency of judges in the higher judiciary— which worked with half of its sanctioned strength for most part of the previous decades– was also a contributing factor.
The Dispatch learnt that, as on Friday, April 7, the high court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has a total pendency of 44738 cases before it. These include 37022 civil cases and 7716 criminal cases. Of these, as many as 18751 cases are pending for more than 5 years and 6680 cases are pending for more than 10 years before the high court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
On Friday, the Chief Justice ordered the targeting of the 6680 cases pending for more than 10 years for their early disposal.
The chief justice ordered that all final hearing matters above 10 years would be listed on Tuesday and Thursday. Such matters would be reflected in the cause list as “Target Cases”.
“These days would be kept exclusive as Final Hearing Days on which days, no other non-hearing matter will be taken unless permitted by the Chief Justice,” he directed.
According to The Dispatch, the cases which are more than 20 years old would remain on board of the roster bench till final disposal, he added.
Of the aforementioned 6680 cases, 414 are pending for more than 20 years.
The chief justice also directed that the court would constitute a fast track Single Bench from time to time in both Wings of the High Court to hear the “Target cases” irrespective of roster.
The chief justice said that on the final hearing days which are Tuesday and Thursday, the urgent matters would be listed before the roster benches, subject to mention.
“Mention for listing of urgent matters in the two Wings of the Hon’ble High Court shall be made before the Chief Justice or a Senior Judge assigned by the Chief Justice,” he directed.
For the time being, admission and order matters, which are listed on Final Hearing Days because of earlier judicial orders, would be taken up only after the final hearing matters are concluded, he said.
The Chief Justice further ordered the Bench Secretaries and Readers of the respective Courts to ensure that in future, only final hearing matters are fixed on Tuesday and Thursday.
“They shall also ensure that CIS calendar is strictly followed and the number of cases listed before the bench shall not ordinarily exceed 70,” the chief justice ordered.
