The Hindu : Karnataka News : Chief Justice urged to favour Belgaum for Bench

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Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Chief Justice urged to favour Belgaum for Bench

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, JULY 3. The issue of establishment of a permanent Bench of the Karnataka High Court in north Karnataka was raised at the inauguration of a court complex here today.

The Minister in charge of Belgaum district, Prakash Hukkeri, and the Belgaum Bar Association President, S.S. Kivadasannawar, requested the Chief Justice, S.K. Jain, to consider the long-pending demand of the people for a Bench in the region.

Mr. Kivadasannawar submitted a representation with a request to establish the Bench in Belgaum as infrastructure and other facilities were available.

Mr. Jain, who inaugurated the second stage of the New Court Complex, constructed at a cost of Rs. 90 lakh with the financial assistance from the Union and State governments, did not make any reference to the request in his speech.

Mr. Jain called upon the police and the judiciary to play a more effective role in the expeditious disposal of cases to bring down the number of pending cases, which was about 3,500 in Belgaum district. The pending cases included 530 cases pertaining to senior citizens. A large number of undertrials were awaiting trial, Mr. Jain pointed out. The police, judiciary and revenue officials, he said, had a duty to work hard to ensure that the cases were disposed of early. Principal judges should monitor the cases, and litigants should cooperate to see to it that justice was not delayed. Mr. Jain observed that Lok Adalats were not only a better alternative to settling civil disputes through compromise, but also the best option available to litigants.

"Mere establishment of court or buildings will not serve the purpose unless the justice delivery system is expedited,'' he said. Many courts were functioning in old buildings, even as the Government was taking steps to construct buildings where they were necessary. Good infrastructure was necessary for improving the functioning of the judiciary, he added.

Mr. Hukkeri, who is also the Agriculture Marketing Minister, complimented the engineers of the Public Works Department and the contractor who were involved with the court-building project. He elicited an assurance of a Rs. 10-lakh grant from the Belgaum Zilla Panchayat President, S.S. Doddagoudar, and the Chief Executive Officer of the panchayat, Rajendra Kataria, towards the third stage of the court complex, and promised to secure financial assistance from the State Government.

The High Court Judge, A.C. Kabbin, stressed the need for providing basic infrastructure for lawyers and litigants. P. Vishwanath Shetty, High Court Judge and Administrative Judge for Belgaum district, said that the need for ensuring expeditious delivery of justice at a low cost was a common concern.

The Principal District and Sessions Judge, M. Chidanand Rao, welcomed the gathering. The Belgaum Bar Association secretary, Arun Gauli, was present.

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