The Hindu : National : Evening courts launched in Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006
ePaper

National

National

Evening courts launched in Gujarat

Special Correspondent

State is first in the country to do so

Ahmedabad: Gujarat on Tuesday became the first State in the country to launch evening courts to try cases involving small litigants, particularly daily wagers and self-employed who often had to loose income to attend to court cases.

Chief justice of the Supreme Court, Y. K. Sbharwal, inaugurated the evening courts here in the presence of law and judiciary minister Ashok Bhatt. With this, five evening courts in Ahmedabad metropolitan court, 17 in Ahmedabad rural court and five in Rajkot metropolitan court became operational. The proposal to start the evening courts in Vadodara was suspended for the time being in view of opposition by local lawyers.

The evening courts would function from 6.15 to 8.15 and has been started on an experimental basis. If proved successful, it would be extended to other cities and towns later.

The idea was mooted at a joint meeting of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of various high courts last year but no other State has taken the initiative to launch the scheme.

Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and other judges as well as other senior members of the judiciary welcomed the proposal though a section of the practicing advocates opposed it.

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

National