PHC pats self on back for 2024

Court claims it has disposed of more cases than were filed

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PESHAWAR:

The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has agreed to improve the security of Peshawar High Court judges by providing a bulletproof to each one.

Additionally, all civil judges and judicial magistrates will also be provided security.

"Despite limited resources, the Peshawar High Court and the district judiciary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have worked tirelessly over the last year to resolve pending cases," said PC Registrar Barrister Ikhtiar Khan.

"High court judges voluntarily reduced their holidays to address old cases, and in subordinate courts, 8,000 out of 25,000 targeted old cases were resolved, reducing the total to 17,000, " he said.

The registrar continued that the PHC resolved more cases than those filed last year, ensuring timely delivery of justice. "Over 41,000 cases are still pending across the Peshawar High Court and its principal seats. The PHC chief justice is actively taking measures to address these backlogs."

The registrar was flanked by PHC Additional Registrar (Admin) Mamrez Khan Khalil, and PHC HR Director Adil Majeed for a press briefing.

The registrar noted that despite limited resources, efforts are being made to resolve cases efficiently, utilising all available means. "Judicial work was affected in some districts due to terrorism incidents, but cases were promptly transferred to other districts for continuation."

He stated that subordinate courts also performed diligently, reducing pending cases compared to the previous year despite the monthly filing of 3,000 new cases. Similarly, the Peshawar High Court continues to receive new cases daily. The registrar stated that only 13 judges are working at the PHC, despite a sanctioned strength of 30.

"However, under the supervision of CJ Ishtiaq Ibrahim, backlogs are being addressed. In the past 10 months, the court resolved more cases than were newly filed, reflecting the judiciary's commitment to its duties despite resource constraints.

Additional Registrar Mamrez Khan stated that 49,900 cases were filed in the district judiciary last year, while 52,300 were resolved. "Currently, 261,000 cases are pending, but with the appointment of 22 new additional judges, the backlog is expected to reduce significantly."

The recruitment of 12 more additional session judges and 112 civil judges is expected to be completed by June, further easing the burden. Of the old cases, only 17,000 remain pending, with 8,000 already resolved. A case management committee, formed by the chief justice, has contributed significantly to this progress.