Second performance year: PHC decides 8,830 cases in first quarter

PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) has decided 8,830 cases during the first quarter of the second performance year, with Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth leading by example with 15.95 judgments per day.

PHC Registrar Khwaja Wajihuddin shared and highlighted the measures and achievements of the district judiciary and the Peshawar High Court under Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth on Saturday. He said that the judicial autonomy and transparency in the justice system remained the top priority while special attention was also given to protection of human rights.

The official added that the chief justice led by example with 15.95 judgments per day as compared to 12.31 before he assumed the office.

“In the first quarter of the second performance year, the district judiciary decided 145,082 cases while 4,236 cases were disposed of in the newly merged districts. The Model Courts concluded 17166 cases while the Child Protection Courts disposed of 448 cases,” said Khwaja Wahihuddin. He added that the PHC acted eagerly to protect human rights and its Human Rights Cell disposed of 4040 complaints out of 4399 while 359 complaints were under process. Establishment of Child Protection Courts at Peshawar, Abbottababd and Mardan was a singular pioneering initiative, whereas extension of the judicial system to the erstwhile Fata was another milestone.

Similarly, he stated, model courts were established in 35 districts, which decided 13181 cases, with zero pendency in some courts.

The PHC registrar said the year 2018-19 was declared as performance year. Modern procedures of office management were adopted and a system of reward and punishment followed, which showed positive results. He went on to add that despite numerous constraints in terms of infrastructure, human resource, logistics, etc, the district judiciary showed commendable performance in the first performance year by deciding 458,546 cases excluding the NMDs while 2078 were concluded in the NMDs thereby clearing a backlog of 7 per cent.

He added that 218 complaints were filed in the office of the Member Inspection Team, out of which 183 were disposed of. As a result of disciplinary proceedings, 21 judicial officers and 13 PHC officials were penalised, either by removal from service or awarding other punishments. The legal wing of this court headed by draftsman tendered 1450 legal opinions on various issues. The Administration Committee of the High Court held 15 meetings to address 83 agenda items. Twenty-three posts of SCJs, with 253 posts of allied staff and 93 posts for benches of the high court, were created while 36 ADJs, 38 SCJs and 50 civil judges were promoted. Again, an IT-based Monitoring Mechanism was developed that facilitated the installation of Case Flow Management Information System in four districts. Virtual benches of the high court were created through video link in Mardan and Kohat to facilitate the lawyers and the litigants by averting their travel to Peshawar. The facility will soon be extended to the divisional and subsequently district levels. Information kiosk was established at principal seat, which would also be introduced at the divisional and finally district levels.

“Financial constraint, however, remained the biggest challenge as only 25 per cent funds were released by the provincial government, depriving the high court due numbers of vehicles and other requirement,” said the registrar.

He stated that despite repeated requests for creation of Consumer and Anti-Terrorism Courts in NMDs, there has been persistence dormancy on the part of the provincial government. Similarly, approval of Judicial Services Act has also been still pending for a long time. The high court endeavoured to lessen the hardships of the judicial officers by entering into Financing Facility Agreements with the Bank of Khyber both for housing and austerity, which remained another important feature consisting in the return of protocol by the chief justice, simple entertainment on tea and biscuits, economy in the use of electricity.