Now HC judges to monitor projects on court infrastructure

New Delhi: Amid concerns over delays in implementing projects to improve court infrastructure, the Centre has decided to give high court judges an upper hand in monitoring the flow of funds for such activity, an area which at present is the domain of the state bureaucracy.

At a conference of chief justices held here in April, it was noted that there is a "deficit" between the need for and the availability of infrastructure, particularly in the district judiciary.

The chief justices of the high courts had also flagged the issue of "delays in the completion of projects".

The conference, chaired by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, had resolved to constitute a committee of three judges in all the high courts of which the state Chief Secretary and secretaries of the departments of Finance, Public Works and Law be co-opted as members to closely monitor the timely completion of projects.

The proposed committee, it was also resolved, would facilitate a proper coordination between the officials at the district level and the decision-making authorities of the state government.

Now, Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda has asked state chief ministers to restructure the committee "in order to ensure that the proposals for requirement of funds are submitted in time and allocated funds are utilised."

"...It has been proposed to restructure the committee presently working under the chairmanship of the chief secretary of the state.

"The restructured committee will have three judges of the high court (with the senior-most judge in the chair), with officers from the concerned departments of the state government as members to ensure that the funds are properly utilised and also to closely monitor the timely completion of project," Gowda said in his letter written earlier this month.