Model courts decide years-long pending cases in 2 weeks

PESHAWAR: The model civil appellate courts have decided years-long pending civil nature cases within two weeks.

“We have decided 34 civil appeals against the decisions of the trial courts within two weeks out of 100 target cases for one month time,” an official of Model Civil Appellate Court, Peshawar, told The News. However, under the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the model court shall decide the case within one month time. He said that 100 civil nature appeals were fixed before the Model Civil Appellate Court, Peshawar, for one month, which had been pending in the sessions courts for years.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Aalia Sadia Lodhi had been appointed for Peshawar and she decided 34 cases in two weeks. Chief Justice of Supreme Court Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and two judges of Supreme Court Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan had also recently monitored the proceedings of the Model Civil Appellate Court, Peshawar, directly on the video link for three hours. They were satisfied with the proceedings and the way cases were heard.

In his observations on the video link, the chief justice had stated that speedy disposal of the civil nature cases by courts was his dream which had come true. The Model Civil Appellate Courts have been established on the direction of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee across the country. Like other provinces, the Peshawar High Court had also appointed 29 judges of the district judiciary for the model civil appellate courts to overcome the pendency of the civil nature cases in the district judiciary.

As per the PHC notification issued by Registrar Khwaja Wajihuddin, the PHC chief justice in pursuance of the recommendations of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee in its meeting held on June 26, this year, established Model Civil Appellate Court at the district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for providing speedy justice.

The 29 judges appointed for the courts included District and Sessions Judge (DSJ) Sadia Arshad for Model Civil Appellate Court Battagram, DSJ Muhammad Iqbal Khan for Buner, DSJ Rajab Ali for Karak, Irshad Ahmad Khan for Tank, DSJ Aurangzeb for Malakand, DSJ Kashif Nadeem for Upper Dir, DSJ Zarqaish Sani for Hangu, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Rahatullah for Swat, ADJ Muhammad Fiaz for Mansehra, ADJ Iftikhar Elahi for Haripur, ADJ Abdul Jabbar for Swabi, and ADJ Hina Mehwish for Mardan.

Similarly, ADJ Aalia Sadia Lodhi were appointed for Peshawar, ADJ Sumeera Wali for Nowshera, ADJ Amanullah Khan for Kohat, ADJ Nisar Muhammad Khan for Abbottabad, ADJ Muhammad Khan for Chitral, ADJ Saima Asim for Bannu, ADJ Ajmal Tahir for Charsadda, ADJ Syed Arif Shah for DI Khan, ADJ Attaullah Jan for Lakki Marwat, ADJ Aftab Iqbal for Shangla, ADJ Qazi Attaullah for Bajaur, ADJ Wali Mohammad for Mohmand, ADJ Ali Gohar for Khyber, ADJ Jamal Shah for Orakzai, ADJ Sultan Hussain for Kurram, ADJ Rashid Kundi for North Waziristan and ADJ Shaukat Ahmad for South Waziristan.

The SoPs are prepared for the Model Civil Appellate Courts (MCAC). Under these SoPs dedicated, proactive and hardworking judges with considerable experience in managing civil appeals shall be asked to preside over the MCAC. The judges were bound to decide the case within one month.

Earlier, in March 2019, the PHC chief justice established 27 model courts for criminal nature cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts except for newly merged districts in light of the recent recommendations of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee for conducting a trial of a case on a day-to-day and continuous basis.

After the success of the model courts for cases of criminal nature, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee across the country established Model Civil Appellate Courts for speeding trial of civil nature cases across the country including tribal districts.