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Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Have Model Courts restored public confidence in the judiciary?

Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa’s idea worked and the judiciary has started to restore long lost public confidence. Model courts are playing a major role in contemporary Pakistan since cases are being decided on a daily basis.

News Analysis |

Chief Justice of Pakistan, Asif Saeed Khosa, declared on Friday that the model courts helped restore public confidence in the judiciary, which otherwise was blamed for undue delays. The CJP has been making all possible efforts since the time he assumed office, to provide the masses with accessible and cheap justice. Model courts are called a “silent revolution” in the justice system of Pakistan.

Justice Khosa was reportedly speaking at the award distribution ceremony of the Model Criminal Trial Courts (MCTC) at the Supreme Court building, he said that the model courts had materialized the vision of expeditious and inexpensive justice as envisaged in Article 37(d) of the Constitution.

The credit went to the judges who had rejuvenated the ailing judicial system under existing and available resources and without any amendments to the related law, he observed.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked that the e-court system would be instrumental in dispensing swift justice at a low cost.  

During the ceremony, the chief justice was told that 12,584 murder and narcotics cases had been decided in about five months by 167 model courts set up across the country to conduct swift trials.

Award Distributed Among Judges 

Chief Justice Khosa appreciated the services rendered by the model court judges for this glorious national cause and distributed awards among the MCTC judges for deciding maximum number of cases.

Amongst position holders were Sohail Nasir, district and sessions judge (DSJ) of Islamabad-West, who earned five distinctions by securing first position in the country in murder category and third position in joint murder and narcotics category.

From Balochistan, Munir Ahmed Mari, DSJ of Loralai; Zafar Jaan, additional sessions judge (ASJ) of Barkhan; Asadullah Kakar, ASJ of Dera Murad Jamali; Tahir Humayun, ASJ of Gwadar; Zafarullah Khan Bazai, DSJ of Quetta; Rahim Dad Khilji, ASJ of Dalbandin; Nouroz Khan Hoth, ASJ of Dera Bugti; Inayatullah Kakar, ASJ of Harnai; Sadullah Khan Bazai, DSJ of Kalat; Alamgir Khan Hotak, ASJ of Kohlu; Allah Dad Roshan, DSJ of Noshki; Mohammed Anwar Mohammad Shai, ASJ of Panjgur; Mohammed Rafiq, DSJ of Turbat; and Barkat Ali Marghazani, ASJ of Ziarat, earned distinction.

Read more: Digital Justice: SC to use e-court system for first time in judicial history of Pakistan

From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Arbab Sohail Hamid, ASJ of Charsadda; Zainab Rahman, ASJ of Abbottabad; Nadia Syed, ASJ of Mardan; Mohammad Zaib Khan, ASJ of Swabi; Usman Wali, ASJ of Dera Ismail Khan; and Syed Anees Badshah Bukhari, DSJ of Kohistan Lower; received awards.

From Punjab, Farhan Mudassar, ASJ of Sargodha; Mohammed Wajid Minhas, ASJ of Kasur; Raja Shahid Zameer, ASJ of Rawalpindi; Ghulam Shabbir Hussain, ASJ of Jhelum; Raja Mohammed Ajmal Khan, ASJ of Mianwali; and Chaudhry Zia Ullah, ASJ of Sheikhupura; earned honours.

From Sindh, Naveed Ahmed Soomro, ASJ of Karachi (Malir); Liaquat Ali Khoso, ASJ of Karachi (Central); Ghulam Qadir Tunio, ASJ of Kambar-Shahdadkot; Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, DSJ of Tando Muhammad Khan; Halim Ahmed, ASJ of Karachi (East); and Shayam Lal Ladhani, ASJ of Larkana; received awards.

Read more: Model Courts: How a silent revolution in Pakistan’s judiciary transforming its course?

CJP Khosa has been making all efforts to improve the justice system in Pakistan through modernizing it. In May, for the first time in the history of the country, the Supreme Court of Pakistan began hearing cases through video link. Initially, the e-court system was available at SC Islamabad and Karachi registry. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked that the e-court system would be instrumental in dispensing swift justice at a low cost.