The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the states to apprise it about the funds, which have been made available to them under the centrally-sponsored scheme, and the amount disbursed by them for the state and district judiciary.
The apex court asked the law secretary to the state governments to file affidavits giving details, including the amount that remains to be provided to the state and district judiciary and which were diverted for other projects.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said this exercise be completed within four weeks by the law secretaries. "At the present, what we will do is, let the high courts, as well as the states, respond to this and we will also ask the states to make a disclosure of how much money the states actually spent, which they receive from the centrally sponsored scheme, for the judiciary in the last five years," the bench orally observed.
The apex court was dealing with a matter about the report of the National Court Management System Committee (NCMSC). The bench also asked the registrar generals of all the high courts to respond to a note, submitted by the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K M Nataraj who is representing the Centre, concerning the position of infrastructure and strength of judicial officers. "The law secretaries to the state governments shall also submit their responses on affidavit specifically clarifying…the extent of funds which have been made available to the state under centrally
sponsored schemes; the amount which is actually been disbursed by the state governments for the state and district judiciary…,” said the bench, which posted the matter for hearing in the first week of September.