Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Photo: Twitter@HemantSorenJMM
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Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday stressed on the need for reservation in appointments to higher judicial service in a state like Jharkhand, saying the very low presence of the tribal community in the service is a matter of concern. The chief minister also pointed out that more than 3,000 undertrials are languishing in state jails for petty crimes for more than five years, many of whom are poor tribals, Dalits and members of weaker sections of society. He said that a system should be devised to deal with it.
CM Soren said that the very low presence of tribal community in the higher judicial service in the state of Jharkhand is a matter of concern. There is no provision of reservation in the recruitment process of this service. Soren said that since the judges of the Hon’ble High Court are appointed from this service, the same post is also there in the High Court. That’s why I want that a provision for reservation should be made in the appointment process of higher judicial service in this tribal dominated state.
Soren made the remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Jharkhand High Court in the presence of President Draupadi Murmu, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Supreme Court Justice Aniruddha Bose, Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar In the presence of Mishra and others.
The Chief Minister hoped that the High Court would prove to be a milestone in the direction of providing simple, accessible, cheap and speedy justice to the tribals, Dalits, backward and poor. He said that in Jharkhand, a large number of poor tribals, dalits, minorities and weaker sections are languishing in jails for petty crimes. It’s a topic of concern Soren said, there is a need for serious brainstorming on this. Last year, we had prepared a list of pending cases which were pending for more than five years… their number was around 3,600. He told that out of these, more than 3400 cases were disposed off by running a campaign. But, this number has again reached 3,200 prisoners.
“Now we have prepared a list of cases pending for more than four years. Their number is also around 3,200… Efforts are being made to settle these cases within the next six months. I am constantly monitoring this. He said that due to shortage of assistant public prosecutors in the subordinate judiciary, there is a problem in the disposal of cases. Along with this, he said that 107 assistant public prosecutors were appointed last month. He said that a lot of good work has been done regarding the infrastructure of the subordinate judiciary.
He said that I think our state is in the best condition in the country. Today a total of 506 judicial officers are working in Jharkhand, for whom 658 court rooms and 639 residences are available. Soren said that the state government would give priority to the infrastructure requirements of the subordinate judiciary in future also. He also urged the Center to implement a centrally sponsored scheme to augment the infrastructure of the High Courts, adding that the state government has spent Rs 1,000 crore on the Jharkhand High Court, including the land cost.
Underlining the need for a scheme to augment the infrastructure of the High Courts, he said that the Government of India is running a centrally sponsored scheme for the infrastructure of the subordinate judiciary, but no such scheme is available for the High Courts. If the cost of land is also included, then about one thousand crore rupees have been spent by the state government on this new building of Jharkhand High Court. The central government has no stake in this.
Soren said that from time to time additional infrastructure is required in the High Courts as well, so I would request that the Government of India should implement a centrally sponsored scheme for the infrastructure of the High Courts as well.