Someone else, not judges, responsible for pending cases: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa on Friday said judges are not responsible for delay in disposing cases pending before the courts.

The chief justice, while hearing a case, observed that 1.9 million cases were still pending with the justice system and that even with shortage of judges, people in the system are trying to wrap up as many cases as they can.

The chief justice said that if judges are appointed to 25 percent vacant positions in the system, the backlog of pending cases in courts could be concluded within a year or two. Justice Khosa said that there are only 3,000 judges to cater to a population of 221 to 222 million people, adding that last year, the judiciary disposed of 3.1 million cases.

Comparing the volume of disposal of cases, the chief justice said that last year the country’s top court decided a total of 26,000 cases, while the US Supreme Court disposed of only 80 to 90 cases.

The CJP said that despite shortage of judges, the judges are trying their best to decide the pending cases. However, judges are blamed for delay in wrapping up the pending cases.

“Judges are not responsible for delay in disposing the pending cases but someone else,” the CJP remarked without naming anyone. He however expressed the hope that situation will improve as judges are working hard day and night for wrapping up the pending cases.

Meanwhile, the chief justice planted a sapling of pine in the garden of the Supreme Court. On the occasion of spring plantation season, the chief justice along with judges of the apex court visited the garden in the Supreme Court and planted the sapling.

Judges of the apex court including Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Maqbool Baqir, Justice Umer Ata Bandyal, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Ijazul Ahsen, Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Mushir Alam accompanied the chief justice.