BANGALORE: Nearly four years after the GramNyayalaya Act came into force, the promise to provide ""inexpensive justice at the doorsteps of rural litigants"" is still tottering in Karnataka.
At the joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices in New Delhi on Sunday, Karnataka chief minister JagadishShettar sough to raise this issue saying the very fact that these courts have not started functioning so far indicates that there are some basic issues which need to be addressed.
We should try to make these courts more realistic and more informal in nature. We should widen the base for appointment of the presiding officers instead of appointing regular judges to man these courts. To begin with we should limit the jurisdiction of these courts and with experience gained it could be expanded, ” Shettar said.
He said karnataka government is always ready and willing to provide funds for establishment of GramaNyayalayas. Shettar also pressed for establishment of more juvenile justice boards, child welfare committees and child protection units in Karnataka to strengthen the Juvenile justice system.