Only cases of urgent nature are fixed before the judges of high court and litigants these days get a long adjournment date owing to the vacations. PHOTO: IHC WEBSITE
Out of the 6,100 cases instituted in the first six months of this year, the IHC has decided a total of 4,623 cases, taking the disposal rate to 75 per cent.
The cases were instituted in the first half of the year and these numbers have less to do with the already pending cases at the IHC.
Even when the judges spend limited time to decide a case as dozens of cases are fixed before them every day, there are roughly 15,000 cases pending adjudication before the IHC, while million of appeals lying pending in courts all over the country.
The data revealed that the seven benches of the IHC disposed of a total of 3,735 cases between January 1 and June 30.
The three division benches decided a total of 888 cases during the same period.
A breakdown shows that the IHC Chief Justice, Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, decided 438 cases, Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi decided 658 cases, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui decided 348 cases, Justice Athar Minallah decided 677 cases, Justice Aamer Farooq decided 918, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb decided 158 cases, while Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani decided 538 cases.
Among the 888 cases decided by the three division benches, Justice Qureshi and Justice Minallah decided 426 cases, Justice Siddiqui and Justice Kayani decided 231, while a identical number of cases were decided by Justice Farooq and Justice Aurangzeb.
Roughly, over 1.7 million cases are pending before different courts in Pakistan and different factors, including frequent adjournments, continuously contribute to the backlog.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that adjournments adjourn justice.
With every adjournment, the process becomes costly for the court and for the litigants.
Cases pile up when they are adjourned for years and take years to be heard and finally settled.
Delivery of inexpensive and speedy justice to the masses is still a distant dream and the perennial twin-problems of backlog and delays in the administration of justice persist.
Generally speaking, quality of justice, which is an absolute right of every citizen, is still not in any admirable shape.
One possible solution was tossed by the neighbouring country’s chief justice requesting the judges to settle pending cases during vacations.
Noting that people’s aspiration for justice has increased, the Indian media reported, Chief Justice of India Tirath Singh Thakur suggested hearing and finalisation of cases during the summer holidays, if counsel of both the sides were willing.
Currently, the high court officials are on a two-month summer vacations, while the district courts will have a month-long vacation during August.
Only cases of urgent nature are fixed before the judges of high court and litigants these days get a long adjournment date owing to the vacations.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2016.
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