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Business Recorder
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Justice delayed, reform deferred
EDITORIAL: The Chief Justice of Pakistan is right, of course. Timely and effective justice is not just a constitutional duty, it's a moral one. But acknowledging the imperative is one thing. However, delivering on it, especially in a system as chronically dysfunctional as ours, is another. This week's fifth 'interactive session' chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi at the Supreme Court painted a picture of progress. Of the 89 reform initiatives identified under the judiciary's ongoing modernisation agenda, 26 are reportedly complete, 44 are in progress, and 14 are queued up. A commendable pace, if the numbers are accurate; and if they mean anything at all outside internal review meetings. The court claims these efforts have already reduced case pendency. That would be meaningful, if measurable. But for most Pakistanis waiting months, years, or even decades to get a hearing — let alone a judgment — this kind of bureaucratic bookkeeping does little to inspire confidence. We've heard versions of this script before. Reforms have been promised for decades. Automation, digitisation, efficiency; the vocabulary shifts, but the outcome never does. Cases continue to pile up. Litigants continue to die waiting. And the justice system remains a byword for delay, corruption, and elite capture. If anything, the Pakistani judiciary has become one of the most inefficient and compromised arms of the state. Lower courts are riddled with rent-seeking. High courts are overwhelmed by both incompetence and politicisation. And the Supreme Court itself — often the final refuge for those failed by every other institution — is only just beginning to acknowledge the scale of the breakdown. When Chief Justice Afridi expresses concern over slow categorisation of cases or lagging digitisation efforts, he is essentially admitting that even internal housekeeping remains a struggle. These are not grand constitutional challenges. They are operational basics. If the court can't process a case file in time, how will it ever process justice? What makes it worse is the gap between performance and perception. The judiciary has long been one of the most distrusted institutions in the country, and not without reason. Its top appointments have often served as instruments of power politics. Its lower ranks are widely seen as transactional. And its track record on serving the average citizen is abysmal. From land disputes to criminal appeals to family law, justice in Pakistan is routinely delayed, prohibitively expensive, and painfully opaque. Reform cannot be an internal conversation. It must be a public transformation. That's why the Supreme Court's language of 'interactive sessions' and 'review meetings' needs to be replaced with something more concrete. How many cases have actually been decided faster? How many courtrooms are functioning more efficiently today than a year ago? How many litigants have benefited from the 'Case Management System'? What percentage of backlog has been cleared — and not just shifted around? The judiciary cannot keep hiding behind process when what the country needs is outcome. It cannot speak in the language of moral responsibility while remaining structurally unaccountable. The fact that Pakistan still does not have a proper mechanism for judicial performance evaluation, or disciplinary oversight, says everything about how far we are from meaningful reform. Until judges at every level are answerable for delays, reversals, and mismanagement, the justice system will continue to fail those who need it most. So yes, timely justice is essential — and long overdue. But it will not come from power points or pledges. It will come from an overhaul in how the judiciary sees itself: not as an untouchable tier of the state, but as a public service; funded by taxpayers, designed for citizens, and judged by results. The Chief Justice has said the right things. Now the institution must do the hard things. Because until ordinary Pakistanis get justice they can see, feel, and afford, justice will remain a slogan, not a system. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Delivery of timely, effective justice a moral imperative: CJP
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi underscored that the delivery of timely and effective justice is not only a constitutional obligation but also a moral imperative. CJP Yahya was chairing the fifth interactive session on Tuesday at the Supreme Court building. The chief justice was apprised of substantial headway on the court's ambitious reform agenda. Out of 89 identified initiatives, 26 have been successfully completed, reflecting concrete advancements in key areas. Another 44 are under way, while 14 are scheduled to begin shortly. These milestones underscore the judiciary's steadfast commitment to modernising its operations and improving efficiency in justice delivery. The chief justice was further informed of a notable reduction in case pendency as a direct result of these initiatives, marking a significant step towards timely resolution of cases. While reviewing performance in critical areas such as case categorisation, document scanning, and the Case Management System, he expressed concern over delays—particularly in the categorisation of cases—and directed all concerned departments to expedite completion of these tasks before the next review meeting. Such progress, he emphasised, is essential for sustaining public confidence and ensuring that reforms remain aligned with the needs and expectations of litigants. The session concluded with the chief justice commending the valuable contributions of judicial officers, technical experts, and policy advisors. He reiterated the Supreme Court's dedication to fostering innovation, inclusivity, and collaboration in building a justice system that is modern, transparent, and equitable. The session convened senior officials, stakeholders, and officers of the Supreme Court to evaluate the progress of comprehensive judicial reforms aimed at enhancing service delivery and expanding access to justice nationwide. The meeting was attended by the Registrar Supreme Court Muhammad Salim Khan; development expert Sher Shah (joining online from France); IT expert Hamayun Zafar; section heads from the Supreme Court's Principal Seat and Branch Registries; Senior Director of the Federal Judicial Academy; and a representative of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP). Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
SC implements e-filing system at its registries
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has successfully implemented an e-filing system across all its registries at Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, and Quetta. According to a statement issued by the SC's PRO office, the system enables electronic submission of case files alongside traditional paper-based submission. Digital copies of petitions, memos, judgments, and orders are uploaded to the Court's Case Management System (CMS), from where they are automatically transmitted to relevant parties and respondents via auto-generated emails. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- The Hindu
Decision taken to extend e-filing facility of Kerala High Court to prisons
The Registrar General of the High Court of Kerala has communicated to the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services that it had been decided to extend the e-filing facility of the High Court to the prison authorities, in order to streamline the digital processing of jail appeals and other petitions/applications seeking judicial remedy. As part of this, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) would be followed upon switching to the new system. In accordance with the decisions that followed a meeting that was held to address the issue of moving jail appeal and applications/petitions seeking parole and furlough in physical mode and to implement an efficient system for filing the same electronically, login credentials have been created for all 57 jails in the State. This has been done in the Case Management System (CMS) handled by the High Court, based on the details forwarded by the Technical Cell, Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services Department. Besides, two separate SOPs were prepared by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) and IT Directorate, High Court respectively detailing the procedures to be followed while adopting the new system. While the SOP prepared by KeLSA intends to establish uniformity across the jails with respect to the service of legal aid defence counsel lawyers, jail visiting lawyers, transmission of necessary documents for appeal to the High Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC) and other ancillary matters, the SOP prepared by the IT Directorate, High Court aims to streamline the online filing of jail appeals using the CMS login credentials provided to the officer in-charge of the jail, says the communication. Due to the absence of an electronic alternative, jail appeals, filed under S.424 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and other petitions/applications seeking judicial remedy moved by prisoners are at present prepared in paper form and are sent to the High Court for filing, it says.
Hans India
26-06-2025
- Hans India
Kerala HC goes hi-tech, e-filing from 57 jails to begin on July 1
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has turned hi-tech, with an e-filing facility from 57 jails in the state, for prisoners to file appeals and other applications seeking judicial remedies before it, set to become operational from July 1. Hitherto, all such applications and appeals were done in paper form and then forwarded to the High Court for further action. It was Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar, after observing that the paper version is continuing, who asked officials for options to see if this can be done electronically. Things started to move, and a meeting was conducted by the Registrar-General of the High Court with the officials of the Prisons & Correctional Services Department. Following this, a decision was taken to extend the e-filing facility of the High Court to the prison authorities. It was also decided to devise a standard operating procedure (SOP) that is to be followed upon switching to the new system. In the wake of this, two separate SOPs were prepared by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) and the IT Directorate of the High Court, explaining the procedures to be followed while adopting the new system. The SOP prepared by KeLSA intends to establish uniformity across the jails with respect to the service of lawyers dealing with prison inmates' cases, besides transmission of necessary documents for appeal to the High Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC) and other ancillary matters. The SOP prepared by the IT Directorate, High Court, aims to streamline the online filing of jail appeals using the CMS login credentials provided to the officer in charge of the jail. Currently, login credentials have been created for all 57 jails in the state in the Case Management System (CMS), handled by the High Court. Now with the Chief Justice approving both SOPs, the order came asking to implement the e-filing from the 57 jails with effect from July 1.
