Govt plans ‘fast track courts’ for quick justice

Govt plans ‘fast track courts’ for quick justice
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, JAN 5: To cut down huge pendency of cases in courts across the country, Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley today asked the states to set up at least five "fast track courts" in each district by March to reduce the burden.

Stressing upon expediting the judicial reforms including amendments to the Criminal and Civil Procedure Codes, Jaitley said if the states were able to make the fast track courts functional by April, the country would have additional 1,734 courts to lessen the burden.

"The fast track courts will take up 1.80 lakh cases on priority including those in which accused have been granted bail and dispose them of in the very first year," the Minister said in his inaugural address at the meeting of the state Law and Home Secretaries and Registrar Generals of High Courts.

"We have to pool in all resources to strengthen the judicial system of the country and come out with the fast track courts to improve the infrastructure which would cut down expeditiously the pendency of cases," he said.

Informing the delegates that the Centre this year had released Rs 200 crore out of Rs 502.90 crore provided by the Finance Commission for setting up fast track courts, he said nearly 20 lakh pending cases would be disposed of every year by such courts.

The Minister said amendments in the CPC and CrPC was the need of the hour.