Kathmandu, November 6
Chandrabahadur Saru, nominated for the post of Supreme Court justice, has proposed a plan to reduce the number of cases pending for more than five years by 70 per cent within three years.
In a work plan presented to the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, he has prioritised the settlement of long-pending cases accumulated at the Supreme Court.
Saru has set a target of settling all 2,846 cases that have been pending for more than five years. He also plans to settle 70 per cent of cases pending for more than three years and 60 per cent of those pending for more than two years.
To reduce the backlog of old cases, he has proposed measures ranging from increasing the number of special benches to allocating separate time for writing verdicts.
His work plan proposes operating at least four special benches. He intends to expedite hearings of old cases through these benches based on the nature and priority of the cases.
Similarly, he has proposed holding constitutional bench hearings two days a week to make the bench more effective. The plan also includes setting aside two days every month for writing verdicts to make the process more systematic.
Saru has proposed completing the targets related to verdict writing by the end of Chaitra 2083 BS and achieving the target for settling old cases by the end of Asar 2084 BS.
The work plan also includes proposals for reforms related to the judiciary’s budget, appointment of judges and jurisdiction.
He has proposed allocating one per cent of the national budget to the judiciary and plans to play a supportive role in bringing about legal and institutional reforms.
