Parked in Hayatabad, mobile court disposes 28 cases on first field trip

Two more cases forwarded to mediators for resolution.

PESHAWAR:

Parked at the Peshawar Development Authority office in Hayatabad, the country’s first mobile court decided 28 cases on its first actual working day on Tuesday, without moving an inch.

Of the total, 23 criminal and five civil cases were decided inside the court. Two other cases were referred to mediators to bring both parties to a mutual understanding.

The first case resolved was an ongoing dispute over splitting Rs0.6 million in commissions. Through mediators, both sides agreed to divide the amount in half.

For the purpose of the mobile court, mediators are lawyers trained in settling through negotiation. After both parties reach a decision, they present it to the judge. In this case, mobile court judge Fazl-e-Wadood issued the verdict.

At a media briefing, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy Director General Hayat Ali Shah said cases of civil matters and petty crimes would be solved through mediators at the petitioners’ doorstep.

“The district and sessions judge will prepare the schedule for cases to be heard, after which the mobile court will be sent to relevant areas. Cases involving juveniles will also be resolved by the court,” explained Shah.

Responding to a question about increasing the number of buses and types of cases, the director said it would depend on feedback based on the current mobile court. At the moment, there were plans to have mobile courts in each district of the province. If disputes between two organisations could be resolved through mediators, then these will also be taken to the mobile court, added Shah.

“We have trained 18 mediators and eight judges specifically for this court. We plan to conduct four more training sessions before the year ends. The total number of mediators should reach 72 with 32 judges.”

District and Sessions Judge Shabbir Khan explained cases which come to him through the lower court would be compiled on a schedule and the mobile court would then travel to the relevant area.

The Justice on Wheels project was inaugurated by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan in July with financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The mobile court was inaugurated on July 27 when it disposed off six cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2013.

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