News
Sunday, July 31, 2011
No compromise on independence of judiciary: CJP
* Justice Iftikhar stresses upon judges to make all-out efforts for administration of justice without any fear, favour
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has observed that no compromise will be made on independence of the judiciary, saying Islam tells us that justice should be done irrespective of the fact how influential the parties are.
The CJ expressed these views at the meeting of National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) held at the Supreme Court (SC) building on Saturday.
The CJ asked the judges to make all efforts for the dispensation of inexpensive and expeditious justice to all without any fear and favour. He stated that Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan discouraged all types of discrimination among persons and parties on the basis of their status.
Chaudhry urged that the independence of judiciary and its impartiality should be fully adhered to. During the meeting, members of the committee took serious notice of complaints of corruption against the court staff and asked the high courts to take up the cases of corruption very seriously. “Corrupt elements, particularly the court staff, who are earning bad name for the institution, should be taken to task,” they concurred. The committee also observed with concern increase in the number of Hepatitis, HIV and TB cases in prisons. It termed these figures alarming. Therefore, it was resolved that the concerned authorities may be asked to segregate contagious prisoners from other prisoners for medical treatment.
Donation of non-screened blood is a major cause of transmission of infectious diseases. Therefore, the committee resolved that henceforth no contagious prisoner should be allowed to donate blood. The committee reiterated its commitment to show zero tolerance for all types of corruption in its all manifestations.
The committee asked the judges to make all efforts for discouraging false and frivolous litigation and ensure that quality of justice should not be compromised at the altar of disposal.
The committee also reviewed the inspection reports compiled by the judges of the high courts and district and sessions judges, and also discussed various options to set up a foolproof monitoring mechanism for achieving the target of deciding all old cases by September 30, 2011. The committee resolved that the learned chief justices of the high courts should ensure that periodical inspection of the district judiciary should be carried out through judges of the high courts.
The committee appreciated the role of Bar in extending cooperation to the courts for the quick disposal of cases and improving the process of dispensation of justice. The committee observed that disposal of huge number of cases has improved the image of judiciary and restored confidence of people in the present system.
Therefore, the committee agreed that Bar and Bench should work efficiently for ensuring dispensation of justice to all segments of society without any discrimination. The committee also considered and approved the software developed by the Secretariat of Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan for monitoring the case flow and effective implementation of National Judicial Policy. Members of the committee hoped that through implementation of this software, the office MITs would be strengthened and monitoring of courts would become easier.
The committee asked provincial home secretaries and inspectors general (Prisons) to evolve a mechanism under which at the time of entering the prison; blood test of each prisoner should be carried out to avoid spreading of infectious diseases.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk