MARGAO
Justice delayed is justice denied, so goes the good old adage. Strange it may seem, but true that nearly 60 per cent of the trial courts in Margao are non-functional for want of judges.
Reason: Out of the 10 trial courts in Margao catering to Salcete taluka, there are no judges to preside over as many as six courts.
Margao has a total of 10 courts -- four senior civil judges and the remaining six junior civil judges.
Among the four senior civil judges, one court remains non-operational due to the absence of an incumbent judge. The situation is far more alarming at the junior civil judge level, where only one of the six courts is functional. The remaining five are inactive, once again due to the lack of appointed judges.
Given the situation, the South Goa Advocates Association had in March last petitioned to the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court pointing out that since Margao is the commercial capital of Goa, 60 per cent non-functional courts in Margao is having a very major impact. However, since there is no change in the ground reality, the Association has now resolved to approach the High Court with a writ petition.
Association President Adv Prasad Naik has said that there’s no judge in Canacona catering to the taluka. The sole judge in Canacona (junior civil judge) is presently in maternity leave and it is understood that she will not be available for next few months, he stated in the petition.
He added: “In case of urgent matters, the papers have to be brought to Margao, where the judge holding charge for Canacona, is sitting. Margao is nearly 40 kilometers away from Canacona.
This will cause tremendous hardship to Advocates and litigants of Canacona Taluka”.
Adv Naik said such severe shortage of judges are resulting in frequent adjournments which, in turn, results in tremendous delays and backlogs, thereby impacting timely dispute resolution and access to justice for the general public and, in turn, resulting in denial of justice to litigants.
Meanwhile, the South Goa Advocates Association (SGAA) has resolved to approach the High Court of Bombay at Goa with a writ petition, seeking redressal for the delayed disposal of litigations due to vacant courts. The SGAA will pursue directions for the immediate appointment of judges in the Trial Courts at South Goa, which are currently facing a severe shortage of judicial officers
The Extraordinary meeting chaired by President Adv Prasad Naik has resolved to approach the High Court with their long pending grievance for filling of vacant judicial posts.
“At present, six courtrooms in the Margao Court Complex remain without presiding officers, a situation that has persisted for a considerable period. This vacancy has had a deep and alarming impact on the administration of justice in South Goa. As a result, there is an increasing pendency of cases, inordinate delays in hearings and judgments, and growing frustration among litigants and advocates alike”, he said.
He added, earlier, the Association had submitted a detailed representation to the Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay, requesting urgent intervention and highlighting the crisis.
The writ petition will seek appropriate directions to the concerned authorities, including the Government and the High Court administration, to take necessary steps for the filling up of the vacant posts and ensuring full functional status of the Margao trial courts.
