KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui on Wednesday urged the district and sessions judges of Sindh to maintain punctuality for enhancing the efficiency and early disposal of cases involving undertrial prisoners (UTPs).

Chairing a meeting with district and sessions judges of the province, the chief justice, who recently took over as the top judge of the province, also highlighted the significance of addressing family matters through mediation during pre-trial proceedings.

The meeting was held at the committee room of the SHC and district judges of Karachi division were physically present while the judges of other districts participated in the meeting through video link.

Senior puisne judge of SHC Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto and Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar also attended the meeting.

The issues about reduction of backlog of cases, controlling the increasing trend of pending cases, observance of punctuality, court timing, dress code, maintaining proper discipline by judicial officers and staff and restricting the trend of availing leaves (casual and earned) by judicial officers came under discussion during the meeting.

According to a statement issued by the registrar office of SHC, the chief justice stressed the importance of expeditiously resolving cases through mediation, particularly the significance of addressing family matters through mediation during pre-trial proceedings.

He also highlighted the necessity for judicial officers in all districts to maintain punctuality for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the judicial system, the statement said.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024