MP CHIEF Justice A K Patnaik said that there should be no objection if the MPs and MLAs contribute from their fund towards development of court facilities. MP Obedullah Azami has contributed 5.86 lakh for the hall and reading room.
“Their fund is Government money. If any politician is contributing his allocation of Government funds for benefit of bar and litigants, it should be welcomed,” Chief Justice Patnaik said while addressing a function held to mark the foundation stone for new hall and reading room at district court this afternoon. He was responding to the objections made by some people that judiciary should not accept money from the politicians for development purposes.
Responding to Indore District Bar Association’s opposition against shifting the district court from existing premises to Pipaliyahana, he said he has put up the matter before Chief Minister and Chief Secretary. Adding that the Government was finding it difficult to expand the court on existing premises, he said efforts were on to reach a solution.
He called on the lawyers and judicial officers to sort out petty cases for adjudication at Lok Adalat. He said 10,000 cases were disposed of at Gwalior Lok Adalat recently and the same can be done at Indore, which has a backlog of 1 lakh cases out of which 28,000 pertain to Negotiable Instruments Act.
{{/usCountry}}He called on the lawyers and judicial officers to sort out petty cases for adjudication at Lok Adalat. He said 10,000 cases were disposed of at Gwalior Lok Adalat recently and the same can be done at Indore, which has a backlog of 1 lakh cases out of which 28,000 pertain to Negotiable Instruments Act.
{{/usCountry}}Citing reason for disposal through Lok Adalat, he said that Government has limited money, the numbers of court rooms are inadequate while large number of vacant posts of magistrates remain to be filled.
‘Justice has to be delivered fast. If you will cooperate with me in this endeavour by putting up more and more cases before Lok Adalat, I will cooperate with you in solving your problems,” Justice Patnaik summed up.