Contempt plea against Centre for not complying with SC order

New Delhi, Sep 25 (UNI) A petition was filed in the Supreme Court today seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Centre, states and Union Territories for not complying with the direction of the court dated March 21, 2002 directing the authorities to increase the strength of judges in subordinate courts in the country to ensure speedy disposal of cases pending for a long time.

The petitioner Sanjay Goyal, an advocate, has made 36 respondents including Union Law secretary T K Viswanathan and all states and Union territories to be represented by their respective Chief Secretaries.

According to the petitioner, he has sent legal notices to all the Chief Secretaries as well as to the Central Government on February 15, 2005 along with a copy of the judgement asking them to comply with the direction of the apex court for raising the strength of judges to 50 judges per 10 lakh people and the posts were to be filled up within 5 years.

The petitioner has contended that the alleged contemners are guilty of deliberate and wilful disobedience of the orders of the court as nothing has been done till date to implement the directions of the court issued in All India Judges Associations and other vs Union of India and others issued on March 21, 2002.

The petitioner has also prayed to the court to direct the contemners to implement the said judgement in letter and spirit without further delay.

Approximately 2.5 crore cases are pending in the district courts in the country.

The inordinate delay in deciding the cases is eating into the very foundation of Indian judicial system and the faith of the common man in the capacity of judiciary to do timely justice is badly shaken.

Only yesterday, the Supreme Court had said increasing incidence of the people taking the law into their own hands and doing instant justice by lynching the suspected criminals is an expression of increasing lack of faith in the judiciary and authorities must do something to retrieve the situation before it is too late.

UNI