By Patricia Amogu
Abuja – The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Ishaq Bello said on Monday that the judiciary in the territory would carry out reforms aimed at ridding the legal system of mediocrity.
Bello said this in Abuja at an event to commemorate the commencement of FCT Judiciary’s legal year 2018-2019.
He said that the existence of a respected judiciary would ensure that no one resorted to extra-legal means to settle disputes.
The chief judge said that the court would rid its dockets of cases that had projected the judiciary in negative light as part of plans to actualise the turnaround of the judiciary in the territory.
“As part of a conscious effort to reduce the number of cases, the FCT judiciary has inaugurated de-clogging panels which will deal with criminal matters.
“The judiciary has also set up the sifters committee to handle civil cases,’’ he said.
He added that the de-clogging panels were set up in furtherance of Order 13 of the Practice Direction on the implementation of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.
According to Bello, the panels already inaugurated include judges and magistrates, who will review criminal cases still pending before the court with a view to dealing with them expeditiously.
He said that the panels were required to set up strict timelines for hearing cases of interest.
“Let it be noted that cases must be heard within the time allotted, failure of which may lead to a dismissal, discharge or the making of any other order justifiable in the circumstance,’’ he stated.
The chief judge further said that the first settlement week for the new legal year would be held within the year as a period for the court to bring litigants and mediators together to resolve disputes by the instrumentality of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
He explained that the period would save valuable time and money for parties involved in a case as well as for the courts.
Bello, therefore, called on judges, lawyers and prosecutors to re-dedicate themselves to having a better year to uphold the noble dictates of their profession. (NAN)