The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : High Court judges can hold sittings on holidays

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Sunday, Sep 28, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

High Court judges can hold sittings on holidays

Staff Reporter

Chief Justice announces steps to tone up administration

Advocates can get their cases listed before such judges
New policy on recruitment of staff announced

BANGALORE: Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court P.D. Dinakaran said High Court Judges, if they so wanted, could conduct proceedings on holidays to dispose of cases. He said advocates representing the parties could get their cases listed before such judges.

He was speaking at a refresher course organised for judgment writers and stenographers of the High Court at the Karnataka Judicial Academy (KJC) premises here on Saturday.

Announcing a slew of measures to tone up the efficiency of the High Court administration, Mr. Justice Dinakaran said henceforth only 50 per cent of posts of judgment writers and senior judgment writers would be filled through promotion and the rest by direct recruitment. Even a junior-most stenographer could apply for the post of judgment writer under the direct recruitment process. This would inculcate professionalism among the employees, he said.

Announcing certain changes in the service rules, Mr. Justice Dinakaran said private secretaries to judges would have to pass secretarial course and judgment writers correspondence course in law. The High Court would render necessary assistance to employees in this regard. Promotion from the post of personal assistant to stenographer would be done by selection and not by seniority.

He assured the private secretaries and judgment writers that these steps were meant only to strengthen the administration of the court.

He deprecated the practice of secretaries and judgment writers leaving the High Court premises on the dot at 4.45 p.m. He said if need be they would have to stay back and help judges in discharging their duties.

The Chief Justice said BMTC had agreed to provide services from the High Court till 8 p.m. These buses would be called High Court specials and they were meant for High Court staff, advocates and litigants.

He urged the judges not to indiscriminately sanction allowances to their staff if they had not attended the home office. He said he had spoken to the Chief Minister to raise the allowance to a maximum of Rs. 3,000. However, this allowance would be paid only if the employee attended work at the home office and not at the High Court.

KJC president and senior High Court judge Manjula Chellur said judgment writers and private secretaries were the backbone of the institution.

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