Pendency rate lowest in TN courts: ACJ

Coimbatore: As many as 14 lakh criminal and civil cases were disposed of in Tamil Nadu through video conferencing during the pandemic, the highest in the country, Madras high court's Acting Chief Justice T Raja said here on Saturday.
Raja inaugurated two commercial courts in Coimbatore city and a district munsif-cum-judicial magistrate court at Annur.
Commercial courts are helping in quick disposal of cases, he said. “During the Covid -19 lockdown, between March 2020 and March 2022, 63 lakh criminal and civil cases were disposed of across the country. The Madras HC, its Madurai bench and district courts disposed of 14 lakh cases. Tamil Nadu is number one in disposing cases. While cases are pending for 15-20 years in other high courts, Madras HC and Madurai bench has a maximum pendency of three years.”
“The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 is a message to the world. The litigants filing cases before the commercial Act courts will get remedy within six months. In future, civil courts will be forced to follow the path of commercial Act courts to dispose of cases. The lawyer fraternity should cooperate with the judiciary for speedy disposal of cases,” Raja told judicial officers, court staff and lawyers.
Justice S Vaidyanathan, Madras high court judge and portfolio Judge for Coimbatore district, invited attention to the shortage of judicial officers and staff members across Tamil Nadu. “Senior advocates and members of the bars should train their juniors to attend judicial examinations to become judicial magistrates. Judicial officers should have integrity, honesty and devotion. People have faith in the judiciary and speedy disposal is very important,” he said.
Madras high court judges, session court judges, judicial officers, judicial staff members and lawyers participated in the function held at the Tamil Nadu state Judicial Academy's regional centre at Race Course.