Bid to improve lower judiciary gets Rs 3.3K cr fillip

New Delhi : The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared an outlay of Rs 3,320 crore for improving infrastructure for the lower judiciary in a national mission mode over the next three years up to 2020 to improve judicial delivery and legal reforms. It also approved an online monitoring system with geo-tagging by the Department of Justice to collect data on progress, completion of court halls and residential units under construction.

Interestingly, nothing is new in the scheme as it is under implementation since 1993-94 except that the Centre will have an monitor progress online.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who piloted extension of the scheme in the Cabinet, told a press conference here that the idea is to increase the availability of the court halls and residential accommodations for judges and judicial officers of district and subordinate courts all over the country to improve performance of the judiciary.

The scheme covering courts also at sub-district, taluka, tehsil, gram panchayat and village levels is to build 3,000 court halls and 1,800 residential units for judicial officers of district and subordinate courts, he said, adding that regular meetings of the monitoring committee will be organised in various states with their chief secretaries and PWD officials to enable speedy and good construction.