Every day, I come across people related to the legal justice system, who have no knowledge of how to work a computer
ISLAMABAD: A vast majority of people in Pakistan are not satisfied with our legal and judicial system, and for good reason. In order to increase the efficiency of our district courts, it is necessary to change the existing style of dispensing justice. I have seen and heard judicial officers and other stakeholders speak about the enormous pressure of work on judges and the number of cases piling up, in large part because many official vacancies are filled only after much delay. Our legal processes are complex and not litigant-public friendly, but advocate–friendly due to the generous adjournments given by the lower courts. This makes pursuing a case a costly affair, and the rate of case disposal is accordingly low.
Case management is archaic despite the fact that we live in an electronic age. Every day, I come across people related to the legal justice system, who have no knowledge of how to work a computer. It is observed that considerable time is wasted by lawyers in the lower courts reading out texts of case law, whereas in developing countries such citations are supplied on floppies or CDs to the honourable judges. Furthermore, the bailiff system is fraught with corrupt practices and summons are often not served on time. If decrees are passed, they are not executed as the machinery needed to do this is antiquated and not in sync with latest judicial developments. Criminal cases take a long time to be settled, and detainees languish in prison due to lack of timely legal aid and corruption in the police department, which keeps on delaying their case hearings. While the pay, allowances and fringe benefits given to district judges and their paralegal staff are reasonably good, those of other actors such as state prosecutors, attorneys, investigators and prison officers are low, and this creates for bad working conditions. All these glaring flaws become the cause and effect for miscarriage of justice and rampant corruption. Is there anyone in the corridors of power who will take note of these problems and do something about them, so that dispensation of justice becomes a reality?
Hashim Abro
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.
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