A proposal initiated in 1997 to construct a court complex for trial courts in Idukki district indicates the ‘sorry state of affairs’ in the State due to ‘red tape rules,’ the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday.
The court’s observation came while directing the State Government to ensure that land is allocated within six months, from receipt of the instant order, for construction of the court complex at Idukki.
It also ordered that once the land is allotted, the competent authority ‘will take immediate necessary steps to see that the dream of the litigant public, including lawyers, advocate clerks, are fulfilled and a new court complex is constructed at least within one year from the date on which the land is allotted.’
The directions by Justice P. V. Kunhikrishnan came while disposing of a plea moved by the Bar Association of Idukki challenging the order cancelling allotment of two acres of land earmarked for construction of the judicial complex.
“The issue involved in this case is the construction of a court complex for functioning of the trial courts in Idukki district. The trial courts are the backbone of the Indian judiciary. If there is no proper infrastructure and proper atmosphere for the decision-makers in the trial courts, that will be a threat to the justice delivery system itself. The present case is one such case, which will show the sorry state of affairs as far as the infrastructure of a court and the attempt to solve the issue is sabotaged because of red tape rules,” the High Court said.
The association, represented by George Mathew, Advocate, had said in its plea that the Special Court under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the Judicial First Class Magistrate’s Court and the Munsiff Court and the respective offices of government pleaders and prosecutors attached to these courts were functioning out of the District Headquarters at Idukki.
“All the above-mentioned offices are functioning under limited facilities provided in the civil station at Kuyilimala in Idukki. There arose a need for more facilities and also an independent need of buildings for courts at the district headquarters,” the plea had said
