PESHAWAR, July 26: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will open the country’s first mobile court today (Saturday).

Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan will inaugurate the court on the premises of the Peshawar High Court.

A specially-designed vehicle has been imported for the mobile court with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In future, such courts will be set up in other parts of the province, too.

For over a year, the PHC has been urging the provincial government to process two proposed laws for the start of mobile courts in the province.

However, the failure of the previous and present governments in the province to do the needful has now prompted PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan to issue two notifications under the Civil Court Ordinance, 1962, which empowers him to direct any judge or magistrate to hold camp court at any place within the district to hold trial and decide cases reported to them. An official at the high court said for the time being, the notifications were sufficient for smooth working of mobile courts.

“Initially, seven cases have been fixed for Saturday which will be decided on the premises of the high court on the spot just for the launch of the project,” he said.

According to him, the mobile courts project is the brainchild of Chief Justice Dost Mohammad, who soon after assuming the charge in Nov 2011, had said he would ensure establishment of mobile courts to resolve petty nature criminal and civil disputes.Under the project, the judicial officers and other court officials will visit faraway areas in different districts and decide cases there to provide justice to the people on their doorsteps.

The high court intends to set up 11 mobile courts in the province, including four in central districts, two each in Hazara and Southern districts and three in Malakand division.

The official said the project would be supported by UNDP, which had already spent around Rs15 million on the establishment of one of the mobile courts.

Last year, the PHC had prepared drafts of two proposed laws, Criminal Mobile Courts Act, 2012, and Civil Mobile Courts Act, 2012, and sent them to the provincial law department for legislation. According to the proposed laws, the government in consultation with the high court may establish one or more courts in each district or at any such other place or places as it may deem necessary.

Such courts will hold sittings at town/union councils/police stations or other places specified by the high court on rotation basis as may be directed by the district judge.

The concept of mobile courts was introduced in India many years ago, while in several other regions, these courts have been functioning successfully.

Similarly, mobile courts have also been functioning in Bangladesh and are empowered to deal with minor offences.