Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah Thursday said that judiciary at district level would be made more effective.
Addressing lawyers at Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association, he said that no rocket science is required to achieve the goal. There should be no nepotism or favouritism. Best efforts would be made to set example for other provinces, he added.
Judiciary at the district level would be made fully functional which, he said, would help address 50 per cent of the problems being confronted to provide speedy justice to the people.
He informed the gathering that 1.3 million cases are pending in courts in Punjab. A consultation process to bring improvement in the judicial system has been launched in the province.
Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said that 13 vacancies of high court judges would soon be filled. The chief justice said that the lawyers’ community has to play its role in making the working of district judiciary more effective. He said, “I am pursuing a policy of openness to reform the justice system and I can be consulted any time.” A special seven member supervisory committee headed by myself has also been set up.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah warned that corrupt and incompetent judges would not be tolerated.
He said that elimination of non professional elements in the ranks of lawyers had become indispensable to restore dignity of the legal profession, and added that complaints against judges would be decided within 15 days. The chief justice said it was an open secret that functioning of the lower judiciary was not up to the mark and support of lawyers was critical for its reform.
He said no one would be allowed to get favourable decisions by pressurising the judges and locking the courts. He urged the senior and professional lawyers to play their role to get rid of attitude problem and demonstration of unruly behaviour in any court. The CJ vowed to remove all obstacles in the way of providing speedy justice to the people in the province.
22 judges from lower judiciary have been withdrawn and sent to Judicial Academy for training, he said, adding that incompetent judges would also be shown the door.
He said Close Circuit Television Cameras are being installed in all court rooms while monitor TV would be installed in my room where he would himself monitor the courts’ working.