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The disclosure by government that the current complement of High Court judges will be significantly boosted is indeed refreshing and welcome news, not only for the legal community but for all Guyanese, as there has been serious concerns about the sloth in our justice system.
According to the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, the complement of 12 High Court judges, which has been in place for the last three decades, will be increased to 20.
He also said President Donald Ramotar, recently, signalled his intention to statutorily increase the number of judges, which can contribute to the handling of the accumulated backlog of cases in the judiciary.
This significant increase in the number of judges should lead to more efficient, effective and timely discharge of justice as the work-load on the judges should markedly decrease.
The issue of the backlog of cases in the judicial system still remains, perhaps, the greatest challenge being faced and it is a good sign to see various means and mechanisms are being explored as work continues in an endeavour to address this very fundamental problem.
An efficient and effective court system is central to effective access to justice. Cases need to be able to move through the system with less delay than is commonly experienced now, with fewer adjournments, using a more satisfactory process for victims and witnesses, and with increased efficiency overall. This involves parties discussing cases in an attempt to resolve them and ensure the issues in dispute are clearly identified, so unnecessary court appearances can be avoided and trial times shortened.
From all indications it seems that we are moving towards a more efficient and effective justice system because in addition to the increased complement of judges we have had the establishment of specialised courts such as the Family Court, Commercial Court and a Constitutional Administrative Law Court.
And in another positive development within the justice system the complete set of Guyana Law Reports from 1930 to 2007 are now accessible online and litigation from 1977 updated in printed form up to 2007, owing to the goal of the Modernisation of the Justice Administration Programme to revolutionise access to literature that will influence expeditious and timely resolution of court cases.
The 200 sets of 14 volumes build on the last undertaking 16 years ago to print Guyana Law Reports of 1996, and give attorneys and citizens easy and efficient reference in their case preparations.
By logging onto the website www.official.net.gov.gy an interested person will gain access to court rulings at the level of the High Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal over the last 83 years, and a gazette that is updated every Saturday.
So here again this is yet another fillip to the system and the fact that all these positive developments are happening almost simultaneously is even more encouraging.
President Donald Ramotar is hopeful that it will make a greater contribution to expeditiousness in the passing down of decisions that he complained are customarily long overdue, and are the cause for the huge backlog that the judiciary is currently facing.
“It grieves me sometimes to know that people are incarcerated for long periods of time without having an opportunity for their cases to be heard, and it’s very clear that there is great room for improvement in this regard and to try to make justice more swift,” President Ramotar said.
The President has expressed the view of the vast majority of Guyanese as indeed the procrastination in the completion of court cases has been agonizing in some instances.
The government has assured that it holds strong to the philosophy that justice delayed is justice denied, and from recent developments it is clear that it is moving towards creating a more efficient and effective justice system and by extension more expeditious court trials.
According to the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, the complement of 12 High Court judges, which has been in place for the last three decades, will be increased to 20.
He also said President Donald Ramotar, recently, signalled his intention to statutorily increase the number of judges, which can contribute to the handling of the accumulated backlog of cases in the judiciary.
This significant increase in the number of judges should lead to more efficient, effective and timely discharge of justice as the work-load on the judges should markedly decrease.
The issue of the backlog of cases in the judicial system still remains, perhaps, the greatest challenge being faced and it is a good sign to see various means and mechanisms are being explored as work continues in an endeavour to address this very fundamental problem.
An efficient and effective court system is central to effective access to justice. Cases need to be able to move through the system with less delay than is commonly experienced now, with fewer adjournments, using a more satisfactory process for victims and witnesses, and with increased efficiency overall. This involves parties discussing cases in an attempt to resolve them and ensure the issues in dispute are clearly identified, so unnecessary court appearances can be avoided and trial times shortened.
From all indications it seems that we are moving towards a more efficient and effective justice system because in addition to the increased complement of judges we have had the establishment of specialised courts such as the Family Court, Commercial Court and a Constitutional Administrative Law Court.
And in another positive development within the justice system the complete set of Guyana Law Reports from 1930 to 2007 are now accessible online and litigation from 1977 updated in printed form up to 2007, owing to the goal of the Modernisation of the Justice Administration Programme to revolutionise access to literature that will influence expeditious and timely resolution of court cases.
The 200 sets of 14 volumes build on the last undertaking 16 years ago to print Guyana Law Reports of 1996, and give attorneys and citizens easy and efficient reference in their case preparations.
By logging onto the website www.official.net.gov.gy an interested person will gain access to court rulings at the level of the High Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal over the last 83 years, and a gazette that is updated every Saturday.
So here again this is yet another fillip to the system and the fact that all these positive developments are happening almost simultaneously is even more encouraging.
President Donald Ramotar is hopeful that it will make a greater contribution to expeditiousness in the passing down of decisions that he complained are customarily long overdue, and are the cause for the huge backlog that the judiciary is currently facing.
“It grieves me sometimes to know that people are incarcerated for long periods of time without having an opportunity for their cases to be heard, and it’s very clear that there is great room for improvement in this regard and to try to make justice more swift,” President Ramotar said.
The President has expressed the view of the vast majority of Guyanese as indeed the procrastination in the completion of court cases has been agonizing in some instances.
The government has assured that it holds strong to the philosophy that justice delayed is justice denied, and from recent developments it is clear that it is moving towards creating a more efficient and effective justice system and by extension more expeditious court trials.
