Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 11: The devastating floods, which caused massive destruction in the State, have paralyzed judiciary in at least seven districts of the Kashmir valley and judicial officers would not be able to deliver justice till the Government provides infrastructure or makes alternate arrangements. However, keeping in view the helplessness of the civil administration nobody knows when required paraphernalia will be made available to both higher and subordinate judiciary.
According to the reports, judicial infrastructure in Srinagar, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts has suffered extensive damage due to the flash floods. Moreover, judicial record in majority of the courts in these districts has also fallen victim to the floods.
“Nobody in the judiciary is presently aware of the condition of the record or the intensity of the damage as due to continuous grim situation neither judicial officers nor the civil administration could visit the judicial infrastructure to assess the ground situation”, sources said.
“Although in some places, attempts were made to save the record and the same even yielded positive result but in majority of the courts the record came in the grip of flood waters”, they said. The intensity of the damage to the infrastructure and record can be gauged from the fact that water level in the Saddar Court complex at Lal Chowk was up to 2nd floor while as the same in the High Court complex at Jehangir Chowk was up to first floor.
In Srinagar district, Saddar Court and High Court complex are still flooded because of which no efforts could be made to assess the condition of the infrastructure and record. The irony of the situation is that several staff members of the judiciary in these seven districts of Kashmir valley could not be contacted till date in the absence of proper communication link.
In several areas particularly of Srinagar and South Kashmir, where the intensity of the floods was very high, even the judicial officers remained trapped for quite long time before being evacuated by the forces, sources said. Registrar Vigilance of the Srinagar Wing of the High Court remained trapped in the flooded accommodation in Indira Nagar area for quite long time before being evacuated by the security forces.
Similarly, Sub-Judge remained trapped at his residential quarter in Bijbehara in the Anantnag district for quite long time before being rescued that too on the intervention of Chief Justice M M Kumar on whose directions Registrar General took up the matter with the Government and other agencies.
“What to talk of other courts in these seven districts even no time-frame can be specified about the functioning of Srinagar wing of the High Court, which has suffered immense damage”, sources said.
Although the Chief Justice has asked the State Government to restore the working of the High Court by providing the make shift arrangement at any other place in Srinagar, nobody knows when this court would be able to once again start delivering justice to the people as civil administration is completely out of the scene in entire Kashmir valley.
The High Court would start assessing the damages to the courts in other parts of the Valley particularly seven most affected districts only after water level recedes and such infrastructure becomes approachable, sources said, adding not only Srinagar wing of the High Court even courts in various parts of these districts would be able to function smoothly only when Government makes necessary arrangements.
“Advocates are the vital organs of the judiciary and they too have suffered extensive losses in the shape of flooding of their chambers, libraries and other record and in such a situation how the judiciary would be able to restart functioning remains a million dollar question”, they said, adding “what would be the fate of the cases whose record has been damaged is also required to be pondered upon by the judiciary”.
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