Of Taluka Courts....

Aiming to bring justice to doorsteps of people in villages, the Centre plans to set up at least 2,500 courts at the taluka level, saving rural folk the trouble of having to travel to the district headquarters.
The plan is an extension of the gram nyayalaya scheme, in which mobile courts visit villages to dispense speedy justice by adopting summary proceedings. The plan was first notified in 2009.
With the gram nyayalaya scheme beset with funding problems, the government plans to set up buildings and provide for running expenses of courts at the taluka-level.
The law ministry has written to the finance ministry to increase funding for court buildings, and also provide for day-to-day expenses of these courts. In the proposed funding pattern, the Centre will meet 75% of the cost of infrastructure and running expenses while states will pitch in with the remaining 25%, the same as in the case of subordinate courts and the high courts.
Sources said the government has set a target of at least 2,500 taluka-level courts, first notified in 2009, before the next parliamentary elections.
These civil courts will be headed by a judicial magistrate but will not be bound by the rules of Code of Criminal Procedure or those followed in civil suits.
These courts have also been exempted from strictly adhering to the rules of evidence, unlike other courts.
The Centre had initially agreed to provide Rs 18 lakh in fixed expenditure to set up court infrastructure and Rs 3.20 lakh for running expenses for three years. However, the law ministry has proposed that the Centre meet 75% of the total expenditure as applicable in the case of setting up of subordinate courts.
The law ministry feels these courts will have an immense impact. Besides bringing down litigation in the higher judiciary, the taluka-level courts will help people settle disputes in the villages itself without the need to travel all the way to district centres or state capitals.
These courts will be empowered to pronounce judgment, with a time limit of six months set to adjudicate cases. In case the litigants are not satisfied, they can approach higher courts, but a time limit of six months has also been fixed for adjudication of these cases in higher courts.