M A I N   N E W S

Conference of CMs & CJs
Haryana again seeks separate high court
Punjab says growing pendency may cause law & order problem
Tribune News Service

From right: Chief Ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Haryana), Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Jagadish Shettar (Karnataka) and Virbhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

New Delhi, April 7
Haryana has once again reiterated its demand for having a separate high court and further sought parity with neighbour Punjab in its share of judges in the existing common high court.

Since 1966, when Haryana was carved out of Punjab, the two states have a common high court in Chandigarh.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while speaking at the Conference of Chief Ministers of States and Chief Justices of the High Courts in the National Capital today, said: “A separate high court for the state was our Constitutional right. This will not only fulfil the aspirations of the people of Haryana but also strengthen the judicial system in the state.”

This, he suggested, can be done by bifurcating the existing premises, judges and staff of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Keeping in view the increased number of litigations originating from Haryana, he also asked for a change in the ratio of judges from 60:40 to 50:50 between Punjab and Haryana.

Hooda welcomed the idea of having an All-India Judicial Service and supported the initiative of the National Court Management System and the creation of a National Judicial Data Grid.

In his address, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said his state would set up a State Judicial Academy on the outskirts of Shimla. Land has been allocated for the academy and Rs 37 crore earmarked for its construction. The government has given administrative approval of Rs 26 crore and expenditure sanction of Rs 7 crore for the academy, he added.

“The academy will create trained and qualified managerial cadre to manage the judiciary at all levels and also check the shortcomings in the institutions,” Virbhadra said.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal could not make it to the conference due to his party’s conclave in Goa. His speech, which was distributed among delegates, said: “One great challenge that stares us in the face is the failure of the justice delivery system to deliver justice expeditiously which has brought about a sense of frustration amongst litigants. A common man may be tempted to take the law into his own hands by taking resort to extra-judicial means of securing justice which could prove dangerous for peace and stability, and success of the democratic system.”