The scarcity of judges and buildings for courts is the main hindrance in providing speedy justice in the country. The ratio of judges is very low, for 300,000 people there is only one judge in Pakistan while in developed countries the ratio is one judge for 10,000 people.
This was stated by former Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani yesterday while he was addressing the meeting of Shura Hamdard Karachi chapter, presided over by former Justice Haziqul Khairi on the theme: "Providing cheap and speedy justice in Pakistan" at a local hall. He said that in 2005 after a lapse of more than 55 years after independence new court buildings and homes for judges were constructed in the country with the help of loans, provided by the Asian Development Bank'.
He further said that a judge has been overburdened with more than twenty thousand cases whereas he could decide only 9 or 10 cases per day. Salaries and privileges were small and they could not work with ease. It was the philosophy of British government that it gave handsome salaries to public servants so that they should not incline towards taking bribes and judiciary was also a public service agency, he added.
'Judges of lower courts use to sit in very small rooms with frequent power break down and in such environment how one can expect speedy decisions from judges, he said, adding that by improving working condition and increasing number of judges we could expect speedy justice. 'Without reading court verdicts, some people, especially some journalists begin to make comments creating confusion among people, he lamented.
Former justice Haziqul Khairi said there were other elements also such as lawyers and medical practitioners who issue medical certificates, police also cause delay in justice and the judges have no sources to check the validity of medical certificates. Suo moto is taken in the interest of public, then why Supreme Court did not take suo moto on the worst condition of water and electricity in Karachi yet, while people are crying here for water and electricity, he maintained. Commodore Saeed Anwar Malik (Retd) was of the view that judges were not getting enough salaries and benefits. There was no system of check and balance in judiciary to check the wrong doings of lower court judges while army had, he added.
Former Justice Zia Pervez of Sindh High Court said there was system of check and balance in judiciary and a judge is bound to complete a specific target, given to him/her and to submit a return statement to the higher courts. Professor Dr Akhlaque Ahmed, Professor Dr Tanveer Khalid, Professor Kafil Ahmed, Ms Shamim Kazmi, Dr Abubakar Sheikh, Zafar Iqbal, President Small and Medium Enterprises Association, Ms Huma Baig and Khursheed Hashmi also spoke. Mrs Sadia Rashid, President, Hamdard Foundation Pakistan was also present at the meeting.-PR