Also the numbers of cases remained pending in the High Courts were 42, 17,903 as on September 30. Minister of Law, & Justice Salman Khurshid informed in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. He told the House that to facilitate expeditious disposal of cases in courts, Government has taken a number of measures including setting up of ‘National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms’.
It is meant for increasing access by reducing delays and arrears in the system and enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance standards and capacities.
A Mission Mode approach to infrastructure development of subordinate judiciary is among the major initiatives under the National Mission for Justice Delivery which is approved by the Government. Inadequacy of infrastructure in subordinate courts has been one of the bottlenecks in the speedy delivery of justice. Keeping this in mind in the financial year 2011-12, the allocation for the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for infrastructure development has been increased fivefold from Rs. 100 Cr to Rs. 500 Cr. Funding pattern has also been increased from 50:50 to 75:25 for the states and to continue 90:10 for the NE states.
The Government has also accepted the recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission to provide a grant of Rs. 5000 crore to the States for improving the justice delivery system in the country over a five year period 2010-15.
A grant of Rs. 1,000 crore has already been released to the States during the year 2010-11. With the help of these grants, the States can, inter-alia, set up morning, evening, shift, special magistrates’ courts, appoint court managers, establish ADR centres and provide training to mediators , conciliators, organise more Lok Adalats to reduce pendency.
The grants also provide for training of judicial officers, strengthening of State Judicial Academies, training of public prosecutors and maintenance of heritage court buildings.
In order to computerise the justice delivery system Government is implementing e-Courts Project for the District and Subordinate Courts in the country and up gradation of ICT infrastructure in superior courts at an estimated cost of Rs. 935 crore. The target is to computerize 12,000 courts by 31st March, 2012 and 14,249 courts by 31st March, 2014. Court Management and case management can be done through National Arrears Grid created under the project.
All the Chief Justices of High Courts have been requested to launch a campaign to reduce pendency of cases in court from July-December, 2011 and also for filling up vacancies of judges in the High Courts and Subordinate Courts during the same period. Vacancies and delays are inevitably correlated, hence a campaign mode approach for filling vacancies need to be launched. At least 50% of the vacancies could be filled up in respect of subordinate courts by December 2011.