NEW DELHI: Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Gita Mittal is on a mission mode to revamp the image of the trial courts in Delhi.
She has taken a strict view on the laxity and impropriety in the subordinate judiciary. In a short span of over four months, she has taken measures ranging from asking judges to share their areas of interest for allocating cases, to conducting yoga workshops for judges to keep their stress levels under check, and sending non-performing judges into retirement.
Justice Mittal, who expertises in criminal matters, has asked all fellow judges to share their feedback about the ways to cut down the pendency. She is also dealing with litigants, who seek adjournments unnecessarily, with an iron hand, and imposing costs. She is also not averse to putting in extra hours to dispose of cases.
Earlier this week, she constituted a task force of senior judges to conduct surprise inspections at trial courts. Many judges were caught red-handed for not starting their work on the stipulated time. Justice Mittal also launched a training programme for doctors especially those who handle sexual violence cases. The programme focused on creating awareness about the psyche of the victims as well as the legal issues involved.
Lady Justice
■ No adjournments and imposing costs
■ Fixing accountability of judges
■ Giving judges cases of their interest
■ Sensitising doctors handling sexual violence cases
■ Organising yoga classes for judges