Over 1.2 crore cases pending in Uttar Pradesh courts

More than 1. 2 crore court cases are pending before various courts of Uttar Pradesh, as per the figures provided by the law department.

To deal with the high rate of pendency, it has been decided that all the cases filed between 1980 and 1990 are going to be segregated and their trials expedited and taken up on a daily basis.

Cases filed post 1990 that are due for the final round of hearings are also going to be assigned priority.

The judicial officials have been asked to bundle and dispose of similar cases accordingly.

If required, a bench comprising single or two judges can be constituted.

"Efforts must be put in to dispose of the old cases first. Hence, we are pushing for efficient disposal of the cases filed in the 80s and 90s," said a senior government officer.

Judicial officials taking up criminal cases have been asked to conclude trials of petty offences quickly. Senior judges posted in the district will have to take up weekly meetings to streamline operational issues.

It may be recalled that during the recent Assembly session, Samajwadi Party MLA Atul Pradhan had sought details of the efforts being made to expedite the disposal of pending cases.

Thereafter, the law department of the state was asked to find out the status of the pending cases before the Allahabad high court and lower courts.

Officials found that about 1. 2 crore court cases, including civil, criminal and family matters, were at various stages of litigation.

Till August 31, a maximum number of cases were found pending in lower courts. While 88.75 lakh cases pertained to criminal offences, 16.8 lakhs were of civil disputes before the lower judiciary.

Senior officers heading the law department found 3.94 lakh cases are being pursued in the family courts.

The Allahabad HC also has to take up 10.36 lakh cases, out of which a majority (5. 6 lakh) are of civil nature, while the remaining are criminal appeals.

To tide over the huge pendency, the law department of the state has prepared an exhaustive strategy.

Principal secretary of the department, Pramod Kumar Srivastava (II) said, "All the stakeholders are working closely to bring down the pendency. We are holding reviews on a weekly basis to streamline the day-to-day functioning of the courts and improve productivity."