CJI inaugurates country's first mobile court in Haryana

Punhana, Haryana, Aug 4 (UNI) With a view to reaching the ''unreached'', the first mobile court of the country was inaugurated by Chief Justice of Indian K G Balakrishnan in this town of Mewat district today.

''People go to the court, but here the court has come to them,'' Justice Balakrishnan said after dedicating the mobile court to the people.

He said the process of getting justice was expensive and difficult for poor people but with the mobile courts becoming a reality, it would help the backward and uneducated classes get it delievered right at their doorstep.

Talking about the ''dismal picture'' of country's judicial system, the Chief Justice said there was a need to build proper infrastructure to provide timely and inexpensive justice to all.

''A large number of cases are pending in different courts of the country and the number of courts are very less,'' Justice Balakrishnan said.

Expressing happiness over the setting up of the unique court, he said people should ensure that they not be used to settle personal scores.

''Make the best use of it, as from now on no ordinary man of this region would suffer unnecessarily to get justice as the mobile court would handle all kinds of cases,'' Justice Balakrishnan said.

Union Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj, lauding the concept, said 7000 mobile courts would soon be set up in different parts of the country.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also hailed the initiative, saying it will go a long way in helping the people of the backward Mewat region to get justice.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Vijender Jain said, ''This was in my mind for a long time and I was thinking of how we could make it more people-friendly. Now with this concept being operational, the justice delivery system would improve in the rural areas.'' To educate people about the concept and its use, students of the National School of Drama presented a skit.

Among those present on the occasion were Supreme Court judges Justices H S Bedi, Ashok Bhan and Judge, Session Division, Gurgaon, K S Garewal.

The airconditioned bus, costing about Rs 20,00,000, is equipped to enable the presiding officer to work in the privacy of a retiring room at the vehicle's rear, with a computer at his disposal and enough room to seat ten.

Like any court, the Court-on-Wheels will receive plaints, miscellaneous civil and criminal applications, grant bail or remand accused to custody, record evidence, pronounce judgements and decrees, pass sentences and commit convicts to prison.

UNI