Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 6: In a Public Interest Litigation filed by Bar Association and Sumit Nayyar seeking various developmental initiatives around court complex including parking, new road, health center and security of the Advocates, Judges and Litigants, Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar today directed the Chief Secretary to enforce the decisions taken by the committee under the supervision of Registrar General of the High Court and in consultation with the President of Bar Association.
After hearing Senior Advocate M K Bhardwaj (President Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu) with Advocate Ranjit Singh (Secretary of the Association), Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi with Advocate Ravi Abrol for the PIL, DB said, “the decision with regard to hygiene and construction of toilets shall also be taken up. As per the suggestion made through the Registrar General World Sanitation Environment, a private organization like Sulabh has already been contacted by the Registrar General. The Chief Secretary may expedite the implementation of the decision by giving it priority, within a period of two weeks and a status report with regard to all other decisions be filed within six weeks”.
According to the status report filed by JKPCC, 122 chambers have been completed and are ready for handing over while as finishing of 53 more chambers is in progress. However, JKPCC stated that it has not received funds since September 2013 and on that account the speed of the work has been slowed down. Upon this, Division Bench directed that 122 chambers on the upper ground floor and first floor, which have been completed, be handed over to the Bar Association.
Senior AAG Gagan Basotra pointed out that a sum of Rs 3 crore has already been released for the construction of lawyers chambers and there was bleak possibility of funds being available with the Law Department. Upon this, Division Bench directed that the funds be made available so that the construction of chambers may be completed which are at final stage.
The Executive Engineer, JKPCC B L Koul apprised the Court that as a matter of fact the approval has already been accorded for the release of funds and the demand has been raised by the executing agency i.e. JKPCC which has not yet been met.
“Let the funds be released before the next date of hearing because the undertaking given by the JKPCC that the chambers would be completed on or before January 2014 stands already violated on the ground that the funds have not been released”, the DB said and directed that the Secretary, Department of Law shall ensure release of funds before the next date of hearing.
“There was also a direction regarding setting up of a health centre in the court complex. Deputy AG Neeru Goswami appearing for the Health Department has pointed out that the status report is ready and the same will be filed in the Registry within a week”, the DB observed and directed that the status report shall also highlight the possibility of providing ambulance in the court premises.
“As per the directions issued on the last date of hearing, two reports have been placed before us which are dated January 1, 2014 and February 2, 2014. In the first report it has been resolved that a part of the road from Janipur main road to High Court complex should be declared as no parking zone in order to remove congestion on both sides of the road. There is no follow up action of this report and it appears that no declaration has been made so far, that the aforesaid area would be ‘no parking zone’, the DB observed and directed IGP Jammu to take effective steps for implementation of this decision of the High Power Committee within two weeks.
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