GUWAHATI, Dec 11 � �A major challenge to the judicial community and to the Government is the huge backlog of cases in our courts. A time schedule should be fixed to clear them up as justice delayed is justice denied.�
Governor of Assam, JB Patnaik while delivering the valedictory address of the golden jubilee celebration of Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland etc., said that there should be more courts at the lower levels in the district and subdivisions.
�Lok Adalats at the village level should be empowered with judicial powers to disposed petty cases. Vacancies in the High Courts and other courts should be filled up and retired judges should be temporarily appointed to function in specially constituted courts to dispose off the backlog of cases,� he suggested.
The two-day golden jubilee celebrations concluded today.
Stressing the need to improve the legal aid for the poor people, he said that the number of poor people who need legal aid is so vast that the State aid is inadequate and voluntary effort is needed on a large scale.
�Legal aid can go a long way in helping the indigent to secure justice. No reform of the justice delivery system is possible without full cooperation of lawyers and their active assistance. In other words, no justice delivery will be effective without an alert, active and humane bar,� he said, asking the legal fraternity to devise the ways and means through which common man can get adequate legal aid.
Naveen Chawla, former Chief Election Commissioner, India, who also participated in a seminar on electoral reforms organised by the council today, spoke on the best practices adopted by the EC.
Speaking on the election expenditure, he said that if the ceiling limit of expenditure is not fixed, election would be dominated by moneyed people. He further said that the State funding of election is another option to uproot corruption and bring good people in politics, a very carefully drafted policy would be necessary for a country like India.
Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, I Hemochandra Singh, while lauding the efforts of the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, etc., said that the number of pending cases in lower courts is a big problem in the region. He appealed to the legal fraternity to ensure speedy justice.
Apurva Kumar Sarma, vice chairman of the executive committee of the Bar Council of India, stressed on the standard of legal education of India and steps taken by the Bar Council to improve legal education.
