(Rptg, correcting names of judges, para 2)

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for the setting up of nine district courts in Delhi.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agarwal, P P Naolekar and D K Jain dismissed the petition of the Delhi Bar Association (DBA) of the Tis Hazari court challenging the government's decision of dividing Delhi into nine judicial districts, with each district having an independent District and Sessions Judge.

The DBA has been opposing the bifurcation of district courts in Delhi on the grounds that it will create more problems for the litigants as well as for the lawyers, who will have to rush from one district court to another for attending their cases.

According to the DBA, such bifurcation will also complicate the matter further, as there will be more and more disputes on the point of territorial jurisdiction of the various district courts.

At present, there is only one District and Sessions Judge in Delhi, who is the head of all the district courts in the national capital.

The government has, however, been backing its decision to bifurcate the district courts in Delhi on the grounds that it will save the litigants long travel and their time.

The government has also taken the stand that the population of Delhi has already crossed the one-crore mark. More judges are required. The pendency of the cases in the district courts was assuming alarming proportions and the litigants have to wait for decades together to get justice.

UNI SC SBC HT1455