Village Courts soon, Fast Track Courts to continue

The State Government has decided to establish 139 ‘Grama Nyayalayalu’ (village courts) at mandal level shortly as part of a programme to reduce the pendency of cases.   

Law and Courts Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy on Thursday informed media persons at the Secretariat that the government had identified at the mandal level the feasibility of setting up a cited court.

A village court would be set up if a minimum of 200 cases were pending in a mandal. The idea was to effect speedy disposal of cases at the mandal level itself.  The government would incur an expenditure of Rs 8 lakh per annum on each village Court.

The Centre would share 70 percent of the expenditure and the balance by the state.

Mr Pratap Reddy further revealed that the State Government will continue with the Fast Track Courts beyond March 31, 2011 for one more year despite the Central government discontinueing the financial assistance with effect from this date.

The Minister said that this was being done keeping in view of quick disposal of cases both Civil and Criminal by the Fast Track Courts and with a view to render speedy justice to the litigant. The Chief Minister has already given his assent to this, Mr Pratap Reddy pointed out.

He reminded that the Centre had, with the laudable objective of rendering speedy Justice to the litigant public and also to reduce the pendency, introduced the scheme of Fast Track Courts in the Country during the year 2001 for five years initially and extended for 5 more years till March 31, 2011.

In pursuance to the above scheme in Andhra Pradesh, 108 Fast Track Courts(78 Courts in the Cadre of Additional District and Sessions judges and 30 courts in the Cadre of Senior Civil Judges) had been established.

The Fast Tracks Courts have been functioning in the State from April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2011.

The Fast Track Courts had disposed off 1,94,073 cases out of 2,29,623 leaving a balance of 35,550 cases. The Fast Track Court achieved phenomenal success in finalizing the cases with day to day institution of cases are being drastically increasing both on Civil and Criminal sides due enactment of New Acts, increase of Money Suits, Partition Suits and MVOPs.

However, the Central government assistance for funding the Fast Track Courts ended on Thursday, March 31, 2011.

The decision to continue with the Fast Track Courts will cost the state Exchequer around Rs 15.00 crore per annum, Mr Pratap Reddy revealed.