GUWAHATI, June 25 - In a welcome change that may give the justice delivery system some much-needed impetus, the Gauhati High Court has managed to dispose of a sizeable number of cases in the first five months of the current calendar year.
The unprecedented trend reported this year has largely been attributed to the increase in the strength of the judges in the court.
Compared to 5,983 cases registered between January 1 and May 31 this year, the court brought a record 6,226 cases to their logical conclusion during the same period, thus reducing the number of pending cases.
As on February this year, the total number of pending cases in the Gauhati High Court was nearly 30,000.
In a recent official notice, the Gauhati High Court released the figures and extended its gratitude to the members of the Bar for cooperation resulting in reduction of pendency of cases vis-�-vis their institution.
�This is a positive development both from the point of view of the litigants as well as the judiciary. The decision to increase the number of judges has started reflecting. In the last six months or so, six new judges were appointed in the high court taking the total strength to 19 against the sanctioned strength of 24,� said Nabajyoti Dutta, general secretary of the Gauhati Bar Association.
�Taking the number of total benches into consideration, there is a need for further increase,� said Dutta, who is also the standing counsel of the APDCL. The high court had disposed of a record 1,240 number of cases related to APDCL itself in the last 11 months, Dutta pointed out.
�Increase in the strength of not just judges but also judicial officers and other staff is a must to maintain a good tempo and thereby improve the justice delivery system. With a heavy pendency of cases, the judiciary has its job cut out,� an official of the court said, requesting anonymity.
