The Indian Government has proposed to set up 6,000 rural mobile courts, called "Grama Nayayalayas" in India to provide speedy justice to the poor rural-folk and to some extent lessen the burden of heavy backlog of cases.The idea and the intention of the Indian Government to help the rural-folk is no doubt good.But the moot question that lie before us is "Will it work ?"
The above said reservation expressed is not without substance and unfounded.The scheme is no doubt good on paper.But already there is a heavy backlog of cases mainly because of the shortage of requisite number of judges both at the moffusil and at the appellate courts in India.
Under the above said circumstances there could be a shortage of trained judicial hands to head them.According to former Chief Justice of India, Mr.V.N.Khare,’where are we going to find so many trained rural court heads ?as such there is a shortage of judges in regular courts.when the authorities are finding it very difficult to fill up vacancies in regular courts, how can they find 6000 qualified persons to head the rural courts ? it is not going to be easy.’
According to the former chief justice J.S.Varma, "the Justice- at- doorstep move can only be fruitful if the grama nayayalayas function in all the states from the same day!.The government should provide a specific time boud frame work for setting up grama nayayalayas.One is aware of the fact of the Freedom of Information Act 2002 which did not become operational at all.On the contrary, the Right to Information Act, 2005, came into operation in all the states on precisely the same day because the act specifically provided a date of commencement."
Former Chief Justice of India A.M.Ahamadi has stressed on the durability of the proposed rural courts and it is also needed to be ensured that each rural court is an independant body to maintain impartiality.Earlier proposals on many such schemes were announced with a lot of fanfare but they did not materialise.What is required is durability and credibility.
Therefore in the wake of the observations made by our former chief justices, let the grama nayayalayas came into being with durability and credibility with requisite number of well equipped judges and dispense justice to the ruralfolk on the same day throughout India.Let the people benefit.Let us hope for the best.