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Improve infrastructure for judiciary: CJI

KOCHI: Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan said here on Saturday that governments were extremely lethargic and miserly in providing funds for improvement of infrastructure for the judiciary.

Delivering the inaugural address after laying the foundation stone of the Ernakulam District Court complex here, Mr. Balakrishnan said the judiciary was facing serious difficulties in getting funds for providing infrastructural facilities at various courts.

Pointing out that only 0.728 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was spent for courts, Mr. Balakrishnan said that it was not even 1 per cent except in Delhi and Maharashtra. He said these States were now spending 1 per cent of its GDP for infrastructure for courts.

Referring to the 3.5 crore pending cases in various courts, the Chief Justice said that it [pending cases] would soon reach 4 crore. He said the disposal rate had increased by 23 per cent.

Mr. Balakrishnan said 20 lakh cases were pending in Delhi. He said that 435 murders were reported in the country’s capital every year. Only 300 cases could be settled in various courts. “Unless we increase the number of courts, we will not be able to solve the pending cases,” he said.

Encouraging the governments to provide better facilities to the judiciary, the Chief Justice said facilities should increase marginally each year. “Then only we could be able to give good returns to the public,” he said.

Urging the Kerala government to come forward to help the judiciary improve the infrastructure, Mr. Balakrishnan said “we have not been able to provide basic facilities to the litigant public. It is not like going to a taluk office. People have to stand here (courts) for hours.”

In his presidential address, Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court H.L. Dattu said the judiciary (in Kerala) has a good work culture. He said the government had the responsibility to provide facilities to the judiciary.

The Chief Justice also requested the Public Works Department to complete the work of the district court complex on time.

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