Old cases up to 1990 to be heard separately

HC PENDENCY

Saurabh MalikTribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 18

Facing pendency of more than 5.5 lakh cases, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has decided that old cases up to 1990 will be listed separately and taken up daily after the hearing of “urgent” or fresh cases.

The Tribune has all along advocated that the separation of long-pending cases from other matters is the only way to bring down pendency.

No less than 5,50,019 cases are awaiting adjudication of which 4,01,763 are more than a year old; 80,027 have been pending for 10-20 years and 6,729 for 20-30 years. One regular second appeal filed in 1976, another in 1978 followed by “thousands” more subsequently are still pending.

Figures released by the High Court reveal that 11,640 cases were instituted in December last. The total disposal during the month was 11,005. It is suspected that many petitioners may no more be there to pursue their grievances. Suddenly listed, lawyers are often at a loss in the absence of complete record/instructions.

Available information suggests Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha has ordered that a new list of “old cases” be prepared for early disposal and cases up to 1990 de-listed from the regular list. The list will be published on the HC website for information of Judges, court staff, advocates and litigants. From this list, five cases will be placed before each Bench daily till all cases up to 1990 are listed before the Benches.

The branch concerned will every Monday assign the date of hearing of these cases a week in advance.