NEW DELHI: Top judges from across the country led by Chief Justice of India H L Dattu today began brainstorming to find solutions to critical problems like ensuring speedy trials to tackle over three crore pending cases and lack of infrastructure in courts.
Besides the CJI, two senior-most apex court judges T S Thakur and A R Dave and 24 Chief Justices of High Courts are learnt to have begun deliberations on how to resolve these major issues which have remained unsolved in spite of raising the strength of the benches in courts all over the country.
Another important issue to be reviewed would be the selection process of judges “at all levels”.
They are also understood to have taken up the problems of lack of facilities in the courts for judges and other judicial officers.
The two-day judges’ conference is a close-door affair and is not open to media, an Additional Registrar of the Supreme Court said.
The list of business for the crucial meet also includes the assessment of progress made in implementation of the resolutions passed at the previous conference held in 2013.
On agenda is also the issue of continuation of “morning/ evening courts” in lower judiciary for expeditious disposal of the growing pendency of cases, which is estimated to be around three crore.
While there are 2.64 crore undecided cases in the subordinate courts, about 42 lakh more cases are pending in the High Courts, according to official estimates.
Issues of salaries, emoluments of HC judges, augmentation of post-retirement benefits of judges and computerization of courts would be taken up during the conference, the agenda said, adding that questions like whether the HCs can be given financial independence also figures in the list.
Innovative methods like “promoting e-filing and video- conferencing” to smoothen the judicial process and implementation of the National Court Management System (NCMS) are also some of the issues to be discussed at the meet.
Filling up of vacancies in High Courts and lower courts and adoption of uniform procedures for appointing district judges through Judicial Service Commission would be discussed, the list said.
To deal with charges of corruption against judiciary, the meet would be discussing with the issue of “strengthening/ review of vigilance cells in High Courts and subordinate courts”.
The conference may come out with “National Vision and Mission-Justice for All: 2015-2020” and is also likely to propose steps to be taken to strengthen the alternate disputes redressal mechanism like Lok Adalat and Mediation.
“Strengthening of juvenile justice system, fast tracking of matters relating to offences against women, children, differently-abled persons, senior citizens…” are key agendas on which judges would deliberate upon.
Chief Ministers of various states would join the judges on third day of the conference when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address them and the legal luminaries.
The Conference is expected to come up with definite outcomes in the form of resolutions for implementation by the judiciary and the Central and State governments.–PTI
