CJ Afridi says rules, policies made to make court’s functioning fairer

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Monday said that rules, policies and guidelines have been made to make the functioning of this court more transparent, consistent and fairer to those it serves.

Addressing the judicial conference marking the commencement of the new judicial year in Islamabad, CJ Afridi has expressed the commitment to work together with the bar to ensure speedy and accessible justice, Radio Pakistan reported.

The chief justice mentioned that there were 60,635 cases pending in the Supreme Court a year ago. He said out of these, 22,865 cases have been settled. The pendency has been brought down to 56,943 cases.

He also announced that any person who cannot afford a lawyer will be given free legal aid.

Highlighting the reforms introduced, CJ Afridi said that technology has been used to reduce the backlog of cases while making the judicial delivery processes more citizen centric. “The digitisation of case files is underway and expected to be completed within six months,” he said.

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The chief justice said a dedicated anti-corruption hotline has been established, providing a secure and confidential platform for citizens to report incidents of corruption. Public facilitation centres have also been established at the principal seat and the registries, he maintained.

Afridi said that the Supreme Court has also undergone an external audit and the issues highlighted are being addressed. He said we have also initiated standardisation of processes and quality assurance.

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Expressing his views, Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan reaffirmed the commitment to uphold core values of justice, rule of law and constitutionalism.

The attorney general said our primary function is to serve the ordinary litigant. He said it is our collective duty to help the litigants with kindness and empathy. Transparency is possible through abiding by the law and constitution, he added.