Posted: 10 Mar 2017 01:51 PM PST
“Timely delivery of
justice is a part of human rights,” the Supreme Court today said and
fixed deadlines for deciding long-pending criminal cases in high courts
and trial courts across the country.
Issuing a slew of
directions to all high courts, a bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and
U U Lalit said, “Denial of speedy justice is a threat to public
confidence in the administration of justice” and the fundamental right
to speedy trial “cannot be denied even on the plea of non-availability
of financial resources”.
It asked the high courts
to issue directions to subordinate courts to decide bail pleas “normally
within one week”, besides asking magistrates to conclude trial in petty
offences, where undertrials are in jails, within six months.
The sessions courts will
have to conclude trials in serious offences within two years, if the
accused are in jail, the apex court said, adding strict adherence to the
timeline be ensured by making it a part of Annual Confidential Reports
of judicial officers.
“Efforts be made to
dispose of all cases which are five years old by the end of the year,”
it said, adding “if an undertrial has completed period of custody in
excess of the sentence likely to be awarded if conviction is recorded,
such undertrial must be released on personal bond. Such an assessment
must be made by the concerned trial courts from time to time.”
“The timelines may be the touchstone for assessment of judicial performance in annual confidential reports,” it said.
The apex court then issued
guidelines for the high courts as well and asked them “to ensure that
bail applications filed before them are decided as far as possible
within one month and criminal appeals where accused are in custody for
more than five years are concluded at the earliest”.
It also asked the high courts to prepare, issue and monitor appropriate action plans for subordinate courts.
“The high courts may
monitor steps for speedy investigation and trials on administrative and
judicial side from time to time,” it said.
It also requested the
Chief Justices of all high courts to “forthwith take appropriate steps”
in pursuance of earlier directions issued by the apex court in various
judgements.
The apex court said
appropriate monitoring mechanism on the administrative side as well as
on the judicial side be set up by high courts for speedy disposal of
cases of undertrials pending in subordinate courts and appeals pending
in high courts.
( Source – PTI )
No comments:
Post a Comment