Shazneen Mistry
Giving its opinions on the sheer number of trivial and miscellaneous cases that have prevented the top court from deciding the ones that really matter to those waiting for final decisions of their long-pending matters, the Supreme Court said that they are “collectively, making a mockery of the judicial system.”
Why does the judgment take 10-20 years? A common man/woman is not interested in the big legal principle that the court talks about. All this person wants to know is what is there for them in a case that has been filed; whether they even have a case or not. They do not wish to wait indefinitely to know whether the case against them was right or not.
“In the Supreme Court, I have dealt with an execution case in which the civil suit was pending for 45 years. We are deciding on old cases. Personally, I have been trying to take out old cases so that there can be quietus in at least some of them but we keep getting bombed by miscellaneous matters, anticipatory bail, bail, interim relief, etc. and there is no time left to decide the old cases,” said Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.
Currently, 69,476 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, out of which 50,901 cases (73%) are miscellaneous matters relating to relief at interim stages. There are civil and criminal appeals pending in the Supreme Court that is more than a decade old. “We are sorry to say but the legal fraternity is interested only in these interim relief matters. Nobody wants to argue the final matters. Collectively, we are making a mockery of the judicial system.”
The court was hearing a bunch of cases relating to compensation in motor accident cases when it took umbrage at scores of applications and petitions for interim relief being filed indiscriminately before the Supreme Court.
In conclusion, it can be said that the Supreme Court is trying its best to solve old cases and deliver justice to the victim or the family but there are just too many cases old and new, waiting for judgment and justice. There are more cases than judges and it has become extremely difficult for the court to deliver decisions on time although it is endeavoring hard to deliver fair justice as much as it can.
