A justice seeker, Muhammad Ramzan, 56, has been waiting for justice for the last 11 years; he filed a civil suit praying for evacuation of his property from illegal occupant, but the matter is still in adjudication and, in effect, delayed because the respondent has been allegedly ignoring order of the court relating to his presence in the box.
National Judicial Conference Report during last year noted that more than 1.18 million cases of various categories are pending in subordinate courts. While standing outside the court of Additional District & Session Judge Islamabad on Tuesday Ramzan informed that he filed first civil suit in 1999 in the Lower Court of Islamabad with a pray to vacate his land measuring six marlas (1,632" ft) from allegedly illegal occupant.
"On second July 2010 my lawyer filed a case under the Illegal Disposition Act in the Court of Additional District & Session Judge Islamabad for evacuation from illegal occupancy of his land where the respondent has not yet appeared before the court", Ramzan maintained.
Ramzan claimed to spend more than Rs 7 lac while pursuing the case in various stages in district courts whereas total value of the land in dispute was worth Rs 2 million. On my turn in the court, I will rush to inform my counsel to appear before the Judge and the turn sometime took long hours since morning to evening, Ramzan expressed. Replying to a question, he said that adjournment sans proceedings not only creates embarrassment to him but at the same time it is wastage of court's time.
When asked about possibility for option to settle the case out of the court Ramzan responded that he would be ready for settlement but at the same time he believed to bring settlement on record of the court. "My school going son have to leave his education incomplete because I am not able to pay his fees because my time and savings were being spent on the case-cost. My expected source of income, my land, has become an evident source of expenses", he concluded.