Row over courts' shifting; Govt told to form panel, resolve it

Delhi High Court today asked the city government to revive its earlier panel and resolve the issue raised by a lawyers' body on creation of 11 judicial districts as jurisdiction of some areas have been allegedly shifted to far off district courts.
"Revive the panel within two weeks" and it will take a decision within six weeks after taking note of representations of lawyers' body (Dwarka Court Bar Association) and other stakeholders, a bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur said.
The bench refused to stay the proposed shifting of some courts on March 1 from Dwarka District courts premises to Patiala House District courts.

"Let the courts be shifted, they can be shifted back," Justice Kaul said when senior advocate H S Phoolka, appearing for DCWA, sought a stay on the proposed action and submitted that the shifting would cause a lot of hardships to litigants.
It, however, clarified that the panel, to be headed by the Chief Secretary of Delhi Government, would be free to take a view independent to subsequent notifications by which courts have been ordered to be shifted.
New Delhi Bar Association, a lawyers' body of Patiala House courts where some courts are to be shifted, opposed the plea of their colleagues of Dwarka district courts.

The court then disposed of the plea filed by DCWA, through its secretary P S Singh, for quashing of Delhi government notifications on creation of 11 judicial districts here on the ground that the decision was against the policy of "justice at door step."
Earlier also, another bench headed by Chief Justice D Murugesan had ordered revival of the panel to consider the plea of the lawyers' body.