Delhi HC asks Centre to consider augmenting number of DRTs

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to consider increasing the number of Debt Recovery Tribunals in view of the large pendency of cases and the quantum of money lying locked in litigations in the DRTs.

A bench headed by Justice Najmi Waziri, while hearing a case dealing with the grievances arising from the state of functioning of the DRTs, sought a comprehensive affidavit from the government on the issues raised in the proceedings.

The court took note of the “unfortunate physical state” of the court rooms of the three DRTs in Delhi.

It asked the authorities to also examine the state of the court rooms and facilities needed for efficient conduct of court proceedings, observing, “The state of affairs shown in the photographs cannot be considered of the forum’s conducive discharge of responsibility of adjudication.”

“The learned amicus curiae has filed some photographs drawing our attention to the unfortunate physical state of the court rooms of the three DRTs in Delhi….It is more of a dump of files and records from which retrieval of cases would not be an easy task,” said the bench, also comprising Justice Gaurang Kanth, in an order passed last month.

“Let the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services look into the matter apropos the issues highlighted and the concerns of the court and litigants, with respect to the provision of court rooms and facilities amenable for efficient conduct of court proceedings and for augmentation of the number of Tribunals in the context of large pendency of cases and large quantum of monies lying locked in litigation,” the court stated.

The court also sought a status report from the Registrar of Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal with respect to any renovation work being carried out for re-creation of court rooms to facilitate the conduct of meaningful proceedings.

The report shall also address the issue of storage/disposal of records of closed cases after digitisation as well as the e-filing of pleas, it added.

“This report is sought in the context of the photographs showing that the files and records are stacked in court rooms themselves and have taken up most of the space leaving hardly any space for lawyers and litigants to appear before a functional Tribunal,” the court stated.

The court recorded that as on November 14, 11,942 cases involving a sum of Rs 4,01,656 crore were pending before the three DRTs in the national capital and tribunals were needed to be augmented to facilitate quicker disposal.

The amicus curiae appointed by the court for assistance said about 10 to 15 tribunals should be constituted and made functional in Delhi to address the pendency of cases as well as to adjudicate the fresh cases being filed on a daily basis.

The matter will be heard next on February 7.