Make plea bargaining a success: Justice Singh

Indore, Mar 12 (UNI) Describing justice as a commitment, Supreme Court Justice B P Singh has said the responsibility of making the plea bargaining system a success, rested on judges.

''Plea bargaining will expedite disposal of minor criminal cases.

Lok Adalats have helped bring down the number of pending civil cases. One reason for the large pendency is the paucity of judges,'' he said, while addressing a state level workshop here yesterday.

Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik, the Indore Bench's S K Kulshrestha, S L Kochar and State Legal Service Authority Working President Deepak Mishra were among about 750 judges, advocates and officials present at the event organised by the Judicial Officers' Training and Research Institute, Jabalpur.

''Fast-track courts have done good work in disposing of criminal cases. Plea bargaining may be done for cases where the maximum punishment is seven years. However, social and economic offences are out of its purview,'' explained Chief Justice Patnaik.

UNI