PESHAWAR, March 29: The Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, informed a workshop here that the number of pending cases in the high court had come down to 10,000 from 17,000 during the last 14 months.

Addressing a one-day workshop of judicial officers the chief justice said on Friday that PHC had adopted various measures which resulted in cases being disposed of early. Now the subordinate judiciary was also expected to follow suit.

About 1,000 to 1,200 fresh cases are instituted every month, Justice Jan informed the workshop. The number of pending cases a year ago stood at 17,000, but they have now dwindled to 1,000 or thereabouts.

Under the Access to Justice Programme, computers and other equipment are to be extended to the judicial officers, including district and sessions judges, additional sessions judges, civil judges and judicial magistrates, he said, adding that this would help in speedy disposal of cases.

A proposal to overcome the shortage of staff in different courts was also under consideration, he said.

The workshop was arranged by the district and sessions judge, Peshawar, Hayat Ali Shah, with the support of other judges for the judicial officers of Peshawar district.

The workshop had three sessions. During the first session, Hayat Ali Shah presented papers on “modern challenges and district judiciary. In the other two sessions, the member inspection team (MIT), high court, Sher Shah Khan and additional (MIT), Niaz Muhammad Khan, presented papers on “deficiencies noted during the inspection and guidelines,” and “new amendments to different laws and role of the courts,” respectively.

The chief justice said that ordinary people had pinned great hopes on the judiciary, and the judicial officers should leave no stone unturned to come up to their expectations.

He said: “Justice shall not only be done but it shall also be seen to be done.”

Mr Hayat Ali Shah said the role of criminal courts at the sessions level had undergone a change and the institution of the sessions court had become more effective.

He said the district and sessions judge was also chairperson of the district criminal justice coordination committee and he also exercised jurisdiction under section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code, dealing with illegal detention of people, and under section 22 and 25 of the CrPC he had acquired effective control over investigation and police force.