Speedy justice: Govt to establish 173 new courts across Sindh

The recommendation for additional courts was made by Justice Mushir Alam.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has given approval for establishing 173 new courts in the province to ensure swift dispensation of justice to the people, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

Sources said that the Sindh High Court’s former chief justice, Mushir Alam, had made a recommendation to the law department for enhancing the number of the courts across the province keeping in view the growing number of the litigants and increasing number of the cases.



“The recommendation particularly mentioned that the number of the courts should be doubled in Karachi which is in the grip of targeted killings, extortion collection, land grabbing, terrorist activities and more,” an official privy to the development explained.

The deteriorating law and order situation in the city has been attributed as one of the prime factors that led to the province’s former top judge to demand additional courts - with a sharp increase in crime rate, pressure also increased on the existing courts.

Karachi, a port city with a population of nearly 20 million, has 175 sub-ordinate courts -district and sessions courts, additional district and sessions courts, senior civil judges/assistant sessions courts and civil judges and judicial magistrates - in the five districts of Karachi. Officials said that although the government had in principal decided to increase the number of courts, the same would be done in three phases.

“The new courts would be built over the next three years,” said a source, adding that the 173 courts would include five additional district and sessions courts, 51 senior civil judges courts and 73 judicial magistrates’ courts.

In total, there are 446 subordinate courts working across the province. Justice Alam had asked the government to increase the number of courts in the subordinate judiciary, where the old cases were already pending for years and the new ones were rapidly increasing.

To ensure speedy disposal of cases, the high court had appointed 44 new civil judges and judicial magistrates.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2013.