'Judiciary has zero-tolerance approach to corruption'

JALANDHAR: Claiming that judiciary has adopted a zero-tolerance approach against corruption even in its own system, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Tirath Singh Thakur on Sunday said "seven tainted" judges were sacked in the last four months on such charges.
     
"We have adopted a zero tolerance approach against corruption and we want judicial system neat and clean", Justice Thakur, who was here to evaluate a Mega Lok Adalat said.
     
About the cash-at-door scam in which top judicial officials were allegedly involved, Justice Thakur said the enquiry committee would submit its report to the Supreme Court soon.
     
On the backlog of cases in Punjab and Haryana, he said about 12 lakh cases were pending in subordinate courts, besides about 2.5 lakh cases in the High Court and attributed the scenario to disparity in judge-population ratio.
     
The 78 vacancies of judges in Haryana would be filled in soon. 100 subordinate judges, 50 each from both the states, were under training to take up offices by March.      

Justice Thakur said for the purpose of clearing pending cases, 16 additional court rooms would be set up in the high court.
     
On "Samadhan 2008" in which mega lok adalats were organised, he said it helped reduce the pending cases in three months. Claims of about Rs 15 crore were settled in motor vehicles cases alone.