SC presents annual report to President, Courts settle 61.42 % cases

Kathmandu / February 5: The judiciary is registering an increasing number of cases every year and on average one judge is supposed to execute 483 cases in a year, stated the annual report of the Supreme Court that was submitted to the President Friday.

The apex court settled 502 more cases this year compared to the previous year. Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha submitted the annual report (fiscal year 2071-72 BS) of the court to President Bidya Devi Bhandari .

The report incorporates major work details about the judiciary including works carried out by the SC, the Judicial Council, the Judicial Service Commission, District Courts, Special Court, Revenue Tribunal, Tribunal of Foreign Employment Department. It also outlines the challenges of the judiciary along with suggestions.

In the period of one year, the SC decided 6,448 cases out of 28,275 old and new cases. The 16 appellate courts across the country count the number of settled cases in a year at 40,323 out of 55,789 cases while the District Courts succeeded in finalising 75,540 cases out of 14,711 old and new cases. The number of total cases settled by the courts across the country and tribunals is 123,948 which is 61.42 percent of the total cases . The SC has set a target of settling all the pending cases within a one and half year, the report states.

Verdict execution

In this fiscal year, of the total of 16,320 applications filed for verdict implementation 10,073 were settled. Of the total of Rs 15.3972 billion fine, the court raised Rs 3.5346 billion.

In relation to the prison term, of the total prison sentences in aggregate summing up to be 147,599 years, 9 months and 16 days, the Supreme Court successfully oversaw the completion of prison term amounting to 3 million 958 thousand 110 months and 6 days.

The report further states that the massive earthquake which struck on April 25 inflicted physical damages to the Supreme Court building including 10 courts and judicial bodies with partial damages in other 25 courts. The report lays emphasis on allocation of one per cent of budget at the least to judicial sector from the total budget allocation.

Only 15 per cent of the people from the total population of the country have access to justice, it is stated. Presenting the report before President Bhandari at a ceremony held at Shital Niwas in the evening, Chief Justice Shrestha said although Nepal’s Constitution did not make any fundamental changes in the structure of the country’s judiciary there were some modifications in subjects related to the apex court’s establishment, its jurisdiction and management.

The Chief Justice informed the President on the government’s need to mull over an important aspect of assurance of fundamental security from the perspective of judicial execution, and said the justices were unable to receive residential facility as provisioned in the Act.

“In the absence of implementation of the verdict, impunity will thrive and rule of law will end,” CJ Shrestha said, adding “The success and failure of enhancing the judiciary’s influence should not be viewed in one-off way as being limited to judiciary only.”

The President signed the report after it was submitted to her. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Agni Prasad Kharel and Supreme Court’s senior justice.

The Nepal Constitution’s Article 138 stipulates provision for the Supreme Court’s Annual Report to be presented before the President. RSS