The Delhi High Court directed the State Government to release funds to purchase 20% of the pool cars required by the District Court within the next three months.
While directing the Delhi Government to clear pending proposals to finance the District Courts, the Division Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad highlighted that:
‘Despite the aforesaid revenue generated by the District Courts over the past three years, they are being starved of finances for the basic facilities required to run the courts efficiently, which cannot be countenance. Any obstruction in the discharge of the constitutional function of the courts must be viewed seriously.’
The order came to the court as a writ petition seeking the facilities and adequate designation in the district court in Delhi.
The court has observed while pursuing the status report filed by the Delhi government, proposals for providing adequate support staff including group ‘C’ staff and official vehicles for the Judges to commute to court have been pending for a long time.
In light of these submissions, the court noted that: ‘Keeping in mind the request made on behalf of the Delhi High Court that no further delay can be brooked as 150 Judicial Officers are due to be posted in the next couple of months and their courts cannot be made functional without adequate support staff, it is deemed appropriate to direct the Delhi High Court to release the required sum of Rs. 2,52,10,178/- from its budget to the District Court without any delay with a condition that the said amount shall be returned to the Delhi High Court immediately on funds being made available by the Delhi Government to the District Court, which exercise shall be completed on or before 31.12.2020.’
The court will next take up the matter on December 03.
