SHC seeks short-term roadmap to resolve district judiciary issues

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has asked a committee constituted under the Sindh advocate general to resolve the issues pertaining to the district judiciary in Karachi and formulate a short-term roadmap that could be given effect within the current fiscal year.

The observation came during a recent hearing of a petition seeking a central judicial system in the city and proper infrastructure of the district court equipped with modern facilities.

The high court was informed that focal persons had been nominated by the chief secretary, SHC registrar, Sindh Bar Council, Sindh police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for the assistance of the committee.

An assistant advocate general submitted that introductory meeting of the committee shall be chaired by the advocate general on May 6 and its primary agenda could be to formulate a short-term roadmap that could be given some effect immediately and within the current fiscal year. He said that other point for consideration was the roadmap going forward.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Agha Faisal observed that focal persons of the committee shall be at liberty to share their proposals with the other members of the committee in advance so that meaningful deliberations could take place at the meeting.

The bench directed the law officer to submit a progress report on the next date of hearing. The petitioner, Zia Awan, had submitted in the petition that there were several critical issues within Karachi’s judicial infrastructure, including poorly distributed courts, rampant corruption, slow and ineffective bailiff system, ineffective security systems, lack of fire safety equipment, insufficient restroom facilities and inadequate provisions for differently-abled individuals.

He submitted that there was need for a centralised judicial complex in Karachi, removal of encroachments from court premises, security and provision of proper facilities. He also pointed out allegations that the court staff was involved in corruption.

He requested the high court to direct the authorities concerned to remove encroachments from within the court premises, improve sanitation and ensure proper parking arrangements until the central judicial complex was constructed.

He stressed the importance of creating a safe environment for female lawyers and litigants and suggested providing green spaces and facilities to reduce stress and promote mental well-being of the judicial staff.

The petitioner also pointed out an urgent need for installing modern fire safety systems, including fire extinguishers, alarms and emergency exits, to safeguard lives and minimise potential damage in case of fires.