The Union Government is set to establish ‘evening courts’ as a pilot project in Delhi, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh to tackle case pendency. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday said that Government’s is planning this strategy to expediate case disposal.
He said this in an interview to media.
Under the proposed arrangement, courts currently operating during standard daytime hours, will extend their sittings into the evening for a few additional hours specifically to hear and clear pending matters.
The Minister said that the Centre plans to engage the services of retired judges to preside over the evening sessions. “One major initiative is the introduction of evening courts as a pilot project in collaboration with certain high courts. We also intend to engage retired judges to support this initiative.
Under the proposed arrangement, courts that function during regular daytime hours will sit for a few additional hours in the evening to hear cases and expedite their disposal.
“Initially, we are planning to launch this pilot project in three states and Union territories: Bihar, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. The initiative is expected to begin soon. After assessing its performance, we will consider extending it to other states. We are also focusing on resolving and disposing of cases through Lok Adalats,” said Law Minister in an interview to New Indian Express.
“Another important area is Alternative Dispute Resolution, under which an impartial third party helps disputing parties communicate, negotiate and arrive at a mutually acceptable settlement. This mechanism can reduce the burden on courts. We are also focusing on pre-mediation, which can help resolve disputes before they lead to prolonged litigation,” he added.
The initiative is slated to commence shortly in collaboration with the respective High Courts. The Minister explained that following a comprehensive performance assessment of the pilot phase in the initial three regions, the Central Government will consider expanding the model to other States and Union Territories.
Beyond the introduction of evening courts, the Union Minister highlighted the Government’s continued reliance on alternative mechanisms to ease the institutional burden on courts.
In this regard, he highlighted an increased focus on resolving and disposing of matters through Lok Adalats and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) frameworks.