PM concerned over backlog of cases, wants rural courts fast

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Expressing concern over the
backlog of cases at every judicial level, India's Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asked states to hasten
implementation of the legislation to set up rural courts,
which will add more than 5,000 such bodies across the country.
"We have passed the Gram Nyayalaya Act ... I urge the
states to implement this. Once the Act is fully implemented,
it would add more than 5,000 courts at the panchayat level,"
he said inaugurating a national convention on 'Law and Justice
and the Common Man' here.
"This will bring justice to the doorsteps of the common
man," the Prime Minister said.
Singh said his government has also decided to set up 71
additional Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) courts in
different states.
"We expect these fast track courts to conduct their
business differently and faster than normal courts and thus
contribute to reducing the large pendency of cases at various
levels," he said.
The Prime Minister said his government would continue to
augment and improve the judicial infrastructure to ensure
speedy access to justice to all citizens.
He said the backlog of cases was not the only issue that
needed to be resolved. "Certain laws which have ceased to be
relevant either need to be deleted from the statute book or
amended," he said.
Singh said that procedural laws have to be pruned and
streamlined.
The Prime Minister said legal and judicial reform is not
the concern only of the judiciary or the legislature. "It is
equally the solemn responsibility of the executive and indeed
of the Bar," he said.
"All of us have to pool our wisdom, knowledge and
experience to move forward in this area," Singh added. PTI SKU
SKT