Top judicial administrative body wants vacant posts to be filled in six months
Directs official to collect data on juveniles treated in violation of Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018
PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) has directed relevant authorities to fill all the vacant posts in the judiciary within six months – in order to ensure speedy justice and quick disposal of cases.
The NJPMC – an administrative body of top judges constituted under an Ordinance (LXXI) of 2002 – met on Saturday at the Supreme Court Lahore Branch Registry.
The meeting – chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed – was attended by the NJPMC members, including the chief justices of the Federal Shariat Court as well as all high courts.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that the body had done substantial work to provide speedy and expeditious justice to the deserving litigants but noted there was still room for improvement.
The NJPMC is required to coordinate and harmonize judicial policy within the court system, and in coordination with the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, ensures its implementation
The top judge ordered relevant authorities to immediately fill vacancies in all cadres of judiciary, administrative tribunals and special courts to clear the backlog of cases.
More than 25% posts in the judiciary are lying vacant. Around 50% of these vacant posts are in administrative tribunals and special courts.
The meeting observed that if the posts are not filled after being advertised, they may be readvertised for timely filling up of the vacancies. It said the high courts may maintain a calendar whereby the process of appointment could be initiated in advance against a post which is likely to fall vacant.
NJPMC Secretary Raheem Awan briefed the committee about the posts lying vacant in the administrative tribunals and special courts working under federal and provincial jurisdictions.
He also informed the body about the status of the institution and disposal and pendency of cases in the said tribunals and courts. The committee observed that the pendency of a large number of banking and commercial cases may affect the public revenue and the economy. The body also directed the high courts to take up the issue with the federal and respective provincial governments.
The committee recommended the use of modern technology for speedy justice and directed the NJPMC secretary to make arrangements for putting in place Case Follow Management Systems in all the administrative tribunals and special courts.
The secretary briefed the committee about the status of civil and criminal appeals and writ petitions pending in the high courts and district judiciary. The committee ordered adjudication of old appeals and writ petitions on priority basis.
The body was also briefed about the status of Gender-Based Violence Courts (GBV Courts) and Juvenile Justice and Child Courts.
It was told that the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Secretariat in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB) had conducted training of judicial officers and prosecutors. The NJPMC secretary said the GBV-related cases had been assigned to judicial officers throughout the country.
The committee called for disseminating the recent judgment of the Supreme Court regarding gender-based violence/juvenile justice cases to the respective judicial officers.
The NJPMC secretary was also directed to collect district-wise data from police and district judiciary on juveniles who were kept in the police lockup, handcuffed and presented in the court along with adult offenders/accused , in violation of Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018.
The NJPMC is required to coordinate and harmonize judicial policy within the court system, and in coordination with the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, ensure its implementation
The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) has directed relevant authorities to fill all the vacant posts in the judiciary within six months – in order to ensure speedy justice and quick disposal of cases.
The NJPMC – an administrative body of top judges constituted under an Ordinance (LXXI) of 2002 – met on Saturday at the Supreme Court Lahore Branch Registry.
The meeting – chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed – was attended by the NJPMC members, including the chief justices of the Federal Shariat Court as well as all high courts.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that the body had done substantial work to provide speedy and expeditious justice to the deserving litigants but noted there was still room for improvement.
The NJPMC is required to coordinate and harmonize judicial policy within the court system, and in coordination with the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, ensures its implementation
The top judge ordered relevant authorities to immediately fill vacancies in all cadres of judiciary, administrative tribunals and special courts to clear the backlog of cases.
More than 25% posts in the judiciary are lying vacant. Around 50% of these vacant posts are in administrative tribunals and special courts.
The meeting observed that if the posts are not filled after being advertised, they may be readvertised for timely filling up of the vacancies. It said the high courts may maintain a calendar whereby the process of appointment could be initiated in advance against a post which is likely to fall vacant.
NJPMC Secretary Raheem Awan briefed the committee about the posts lying vacant in the administrative tribunals and special courts working under federal and provincial jurisdictions.
He also informed the body about the status of the institution and disposal and pendency of cases in the said tribunals and courts. The committee observed that the pendency of a large number of banking and commercial cases may affect the public revenue and the economy. The body also directed the high courts to take up the issue with the federal and respective provincial governments.
The committee recommended the use of modern technology for speedy justice and directed the NJPMC secretary to make arrangements for putting in place Case Follow Management Systems in all the administrative tribunals and special courts.
The secretary briefed the committee about the status of civil and criminal appeals and writ petitions pending in the high courts and district judiciary. The committee ordered adjudication of old appeals and writ petitions on priority basis.
The body was also briefed about the status of Gender-Based Violence Courts (GBV Courts) and Juvenile Justice and Child Courts.
It was told that the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Secretariat in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB) had conducted training of judicial officers and prosecutors. The NJPMC secretary said the GBV-related cases had been assigned to judicial officers throughout the country.
The committee called for disseminating the recent judgment of the Supreme Court regarding gender-based violence/juvenile justice cases to the respective judicial officers.
The NJPMC secretary was also directed to collect district-wise data from police and district judiciary on juveniles who were kept in the police lockup, handcuffed and presented in the court along with adult offenders/accused , in violation of Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018.
The NJPMC is required to coordinate and harmonize judicial policy within the court system, and in coordination with the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, ensure its implementation