Directions issued To Improve Conditions Of Subordinate Judiciary In States

A slew of directions for improving the conditions of the subordinate judiciary in the states was passed Tuesday by a SC bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The conditions of the subordinate judiciary are being supervised by the apex court in the ongoing Malik Mazhar Sultan case. The SC Tuesday noted that there was "gross deficiency" in the release of central funds towards judicial infrastructure in the state of Sikkim, and directed the Union Department of Justice to look into the matter and ensure that necessary steps were taken so that the necessary funds were made available to the State for construction of court halls, residential units, etc.

The funding pattern in the state is in the ratio of 90:10 (i.e. 90% by the Centre and 10% by the State), the bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, noted. The State of Uttarakhand was specifically directed to furnish to the Competent Authority in the Union of India, the Utilization Certificate for the past grants to enable further release of funds for completion of the Court Complex at Dehradun.

"No sooner, the Utilization Certificate(s) is made available, the process for release of further grants/funds will be initiated insofar as the Dehradun project is concerned", the bench said. Describing the judicial infrastructure of the state of Rajasthan as “grossly unsatisfactory,” the bench said, "All that the Court would insist for the present is completion of 234 court buildings as per the schedule indicated and further clearance of proposals for 104 court buildings/halls and proposals for 244 residential accommodation within three months from today. Construction work thereafter will be undertaken and completed at the earliest.”