> Still a backlog of more than 30,000 cases remain on lower courts of capital
Islamabad District Courts East and West have succeeded in keeping the balance of instituted cases and disposed off cases. A total 19,661 cases were disposed off during the year 2016 while 20,511 cases of both civil and criminal nature were instituted in the courts. However, the number of backlogged cases still stands over 30,000.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, around 2,114 cases related to divorces, dissolution of marriage, custody and maintenance were instituted during the year 2016, while in the same period, family courts disposed off 1,919 cases of similar nature. It is pertinent to mention here that the number of cases that were disposed off in 2016 were filed over a number of years, while the cases instituted in the courts were filed during the year 2016 alone.
A total of 1,710 cases of petty criminal nature were instituted on the courts of Magistrate 1st class, while 1,511 cases were disposed off during last year. 955 cases were filed in the courts of Magistrate Section 30, while 1,088 cases were disposed off.
In the Courts of District and Sessions Judge both East and West, a whooping 7,289 cases were instituted, while 7,549 were disposed off by the two wings of Islamabad District Courts.
With only a difference of a single case, a total 861 cases were instituted in the courts of rent controller while 862 cases were disposed off.
In the Civil Courts if Islamabad District Courts, a total of 7,582 cases were instituted, however only 6,732 cases were disposed off, many among them filed decades back.
While above are the cases instituted and disposed off in the year 2016 alone, the cases pending before the district courts of Islamabad exceed the figure of 30,000. On the one hand, judges have maintained to keep the balance between incoming and outgoing cases intact, but much needs to be done in order to bring the backlog of cases down.