To clear pending cases, Telangana High Court forms two benches to work on holidays

Court proceedings will now be held on the first and third Saturday of every month as well.
To clear pending cases, Telangana High Court forms two benches to work on holidays
To clear pending cases, Telangana High Court forms two benches to work on holidays
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Seeking to dispose of the large number of pending cases, especially criminal petitions, appeals and revisions, the Telangana High Court has decided to hold hearings on Saturdays  as well.  

Telangana Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan on Saturday constituted two benches, including a division bench – where he will be present with Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar – and another single judge bench headed by Justice Gandhikota Sridevi, to hear old cases that have been pending since 2005. 

According to media reports, Chief Justice Chauhan noticed that 29,678 cases were pending at the court and therefore, took the decision to ensure that court proceedings are held on the first and third Saturday of every month. 

On the first Saturday that the cases were heard, the single judge disposed of 25 criminal petitions, while the division bench headed by the Chief Justice disposed of four criminal appeals. 

Though the Hyderabad High Court for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated on January 1, 2019, at the time, it was reported that there were 3.4 lakh pending cases in both High Courts combined. While 1.87 lakh cases were given to the Telangana High Court, the remaining 1.53 lakh cases were to be heard by the Andhra High Court at Amaravati.

There is also a shortage of judges as the court only has 14 judges though the sanctioned strength is 24. The Telangana High Court Advocates' Association and senior women lawyers have also brought this issue to the notice of the Chief Justice, demanding action.

Women lawyers have even alleged gender bias in the selection process and said that though several women lawyers had expressed their inclination to be considered for elevation for judgeship on par with their male counterparts, "list after list is being sent to the Supreme Court Collegium without considering and including any women lawyers."  

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