compensation
claims.
"The
cases pertaining to offences against women and children
will be given priority and more special courts should be
set up across the country to deal with them," says the
judge,
who will take over as the 40th CJI on July 19.
Justice Sathasivam, who did not consider
the pendency of
cases
as "alarming", however, expressed concern over the fact
that
crimes against women are increasing.
He feels the issue can be effectively
tackled by setting
up
more courts for women and children, besides the
compensation
matters, as they constitute one-third of total
pending
litigations.
"We have already identified the
areas in which the courts
have
to concentrate and in association with the Government of
India.
We have constituted and are going to press for more
separate
courts for women and children, juvenile justice and
matter
relating to compensation either under Land Acquisition
Act
or Workmen Compensation Act," the CJI-designate.
Over three crore cases are pending in
various courts
across
the country, according to information provided by the
government
in Parliament earlier this year.
Responding to a query as to which issue
he would accord
priority
as the CJI, Justice Sathasivam said, "According to
me,
the pendency of litigations all over India starting from
subordinate
courts and ending with the apex court is the first
priority."
He said, "If separate courts are
constituted for these
two
branches, one for women and children and another for the
compensation
matters, pertaining to Land Acquisition, Motor
actions
cases, and compensation, these will take away
one-third
of the arrears from main pendency."
The CJI-designate said that he will
continue with
practise
of his predecessors in the apex court to accord
primacy
to cases pertaining to women and children, the life
sentence
matters, and the accused who are in jail.
"In the same way, we are requesting
the High Courts also.
Many
High Courts have already started this method and the
subordinate
courts also. On the basis of our requests, High
Courts
have issued directions to all the district judges to
give
priority to these type of matters, old cases and senior
citizens'
cases," he said.
The judge also stressed that the matters
relating to
award
of compensation be segregated from other conventional
cases.
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"See,
the victims, the affected parties must get their
compensation
soon. So for this, litigations have to be
segregated
from the other conventional litigations and the
courts
have to give priority to such cases.
"We are asking the courts to
concentrate only on these
cases
till they hear and decide a certain numbers of cases,"
Justice
Sathasivam said.
He also gave various reasons for
increasing number of
pending
cases in courts across the country.
"As far as pendency is concerned,
no I won't say it is
alarming,
it is welcome, because you know that now India has
developed
much and is developing more international relations,
many
companies are coming (here), and definitely many
litigations
will also follow...," he said.
Apart from this, various new laws such
as the Domestic
Violence
Act, the Negotiable Instruments Act have led to
filing
of "lakhs of cases" in the country, Justice Sathasivam
said.
The judge also cited the increased
awareness, matrimonial
disputes
and the proximity to the apex court as reasons for
increase
in the pending litigations.
"The main thing is more awareness
and many new
legislations.
If I want to say in one sentence, it is more
awareness
among the citizens. In those days, normally people
were
satisfied with some order of the government or lower
level
judiciary. Now they want to take the matters up to the
SupremeCourt," he said.
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