The Hindu : Front Page : Spell out your stand on fast track courts, apex court tells Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Spell out your stand on fast track courts, apex court tells Centre

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 28 . The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to explain its stand by Wednesday whether it could provide funds to about 1,700 fast track courts (FTCs) across the country to function beyond March 31 following non-allocation of funds by the 12th Finance Commission for their continuance from April 1.

The FTCs were set up in the States in a phased manner from 2001 after the Centre, on the basis of the recommendations of the 11th Finance Commission, allocated Rs. 502.9 crores and their tenure expires on March 31.

A Bench, consisting of Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice S.H. Kapadia, expressed serious concern over the non-allocation of funds by the 12th Finance Commission and asked the Solicitor-General, G.E. Vahanvati, to take up the issue with the Government and find out whether the FTCs would be funded by the Centre or not.

The Bench said the Centre had been saying that the FTCs would continue beyond March 31 "but it appears that no allocation of funds has been made."

Mr. Vahanvati said he would talk to the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, and inform the court on Wednesday.

`Good work'

Earlier the amicus curiae in the case, P.S. Narasimha, brought to the court's notice the non-allocation of funds and said the functioning of over 1,700 FTCs would come to a grinding halt after March 31 if steps were not taken for providing funds.

The courts had disposed of 6.54 lakh cases and since they were doing good work there was no reason why they should not be continued.

The judges told Mr. Vahanvati that if the Centre did not provide funds, most of the States would not be in a position to fund the courts and might even discontinue them.

"If the FTCs are to be discontinued after March 31, it will create a serious situation as the High Courts, the States and the judges concerned are to be informed in advance," the Bench said and asked him to ascertain the Centre's position and inform the court by March 30 and adjourned the proceedings till then.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section