Best administrator is one who can reform even in available resources. The main cause for slow justice is unholy culture of liberal adjournments and ex-party stay-orders. Vice President Hamid Ansari rightly once commented that liberal adjournments in courts need to be taken seriously by the judiciary for reforms within.
Supreme Court once bemoaned the frequent adjournments for the flimsiest of reasons in the case Shiv Cotex vs Tirgun Auto “It is sad, but true, that the litigants seek – and the courts grant – adjournments at the drop of the hat. Adjournments have grown like cancer corroding the entire body of the justice delivery system.”
A division-bench of the Apex Court more than five years ago on 26.11.2010 had directed its registry to put matter of constituting a larger bench before Chief Justice of India to decide stay-order dated 24.11.2009 in SLP(C) numbers 32855 & 32856 of 2009 on various CIC-verdicts on several aspects also including making appointment-process in higher judiciary public, correspondence with Chief Justice of India etc. RTI response following a CIC-verdict revealed that successive Chief Justices of India deferred constituting a larger bench with comments like ‘Put it later’, ‘Put it after vacations’. Surprisingly Supreme Court even granted stay against senior lawyers coming under purview of service-tax.
It is observed that lawyers seek adjournments on flimsy grounds because of being paid separately for each of the hearing. If CJI is really sincere for fast justice-delivery-system, he should ensure that courts not grant liberal adjournments and ex-party stay-orders. Heavy costs should be imposed on parties losing the case after seeking ex-party stay orders, as a deterrent against such unholy practice virtually ruining justice-delivery-system in India. Justice Delivery System should be made so easy that ordinary citizens may be normally and ordinarily be able to contest court-cases even without lawyers.
