Lower courts to work on Saturdays from Jan.

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, DEC. 15. Starting in the New Year, all courts in the subordinate judiciary will have a six-day week. The lower courts will work on Saturdays also, as per a decision taken by the Madras High Court, the monitoring body for the entire judiciary in the State.

The Full Court decision was arrived at after all the Judges considered and deliberated the recommendation of the Justice Shetty Commission on pay scales and other working conditions of the subordinate judiciary in the country.

Though the date for beginning the new schedule is to be officially announced, court administrators say it will come into force by January 2001. The trial magistrates and lower court judges would work between 10.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on all Saturdays, while the court registries would be open till 4 p.m.

The High Court Registry will function the full day on Saturdays except second Saturdays, though the courts would be closed. The Justice Shetty Commission, the first national level pay commission for judicial officers, had gone into the question of pay and work conditions. Its main concern was the increasing pendency of cases in the lower judiciary. The crux of its arguments was that the courts in different States, which worked between 30 hours and 33 hours, ought to work more if the pendency and arrears were to be brought down. The Commission felt a six- day week, rather than the present five-day week, would be able to expedite the increasing number of cases faster. At present, magistrate courts work on Saturdays, with one ``duty magistrate'' dealing only with remand or its extension, to comply with the legal provision that the accused should be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest.

The Commission recommended a 36-hour schedule for all the judiciary officers, though acceptance was left to individual States/High Courts. It also dealt with reduction of number of holidays, and instead suggested raising `casual leave' for staff to 18 days a year.

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Section  : Southern States
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