Effective justice delivery: SC judge asks district judiciary to develop IT skills

ISLAMABAD: Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, has said this is an era of information technology (IT) and judges must improve their IT skills for effective administration of justice.

He was speaking at a certificate-awarding ceremony held on Saturday at the Federal Judicial Academy on conclusion of a two-week federal judicial education programme for additional district and sessions judges and civil judges/ judicial magistrates.

He said for an effective administration of justice, the role of judicial academies was vital, adding that academies not only improve the level of knowledge of judges but also strive to bring attitudinal changes among the trainees, paving the way for professionalism.

“The visionary efforts of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Advisor FJA, BoG to reinvigorate the FJA are highly commendable,†the judge observed.

Justice Naeem Afghan lamented the decline of grace and “mentorship†in the legal profession and the fall in the standard of legal education. “Together we can create a better society,†the judge said.

“Take lawyers to work; do deep study, conduct research and never work in a mechanical manner, but according to facts and law,†he emphasised.

Earlier in his lecture on ‘Judgment Writing’ and interaction/ Q&A with the trainees, he shared his decades long experience both as a lawyer and currently as a judge of the Supreme Court.

The judge said justice is about balance and harmony and this broken and rotten system could work effectively provided that judges and lawyers were determined to create a just, balanced and harmonious society.

Justice Naeem Afghan reminded them that judges must perform their duties free of influence or control by other actors: judges have to work with an independent mind to create a just society.

Hayat Ali Shah, Director General, Federal Judicial Academy, presented an overview of the two-week Federal Judicial Education Programme. He said that academies not only enhance professionalism amongst trainees but also make them conscious of emerging issues and challenges in the profession for effective service delivery.