Gram Nyayalaya Act 2008 to come into effect from October 2, 2009

vIndianz.com(Oct. 1, 2009) — The Central Government decided that the provisions of the Gram Nyayalayas Act shall come into force in the areas to which this Act extends on October 2, 2009.

The Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 has been enacted to provide for the establishment of the Gram Nyayalayas at the grass roots level for the purpose of providing access to justice to the citizens at their door steps.

The salient features of the Gram Nyayalayas Act are as follows:—

(i) Gram Nyayalayas are aimed at providing inexpensive justice to people in rural areas at their doorsteps;

(ii) the Gram Nyayalaya shall be court of Judicial Magistrate of the first class and its presiding officer (Nyayadhikari) shall be appointed by the State Government in consultation with the High Court;

(iii) the Gram Nyayalaya shall be established for every Panchayat at intermediate level or a group of contiguous Panchayats at intermediate level in a district or where there is no Panchayat at intermediate level in any State, for a group of contiguous Panchayats;

(iv) the Nyayadhikaris who will preside over these Gram Nyayalayas are strictly judicial officers and will be drawing the same salary, deriving the same powers as First Class Magistrates working under High Courts;

(v) the Gram Nyayalaya shall try criminal cases, civil suits, claims or disputes which are specified in the First Schedule and the Second Schedule to the Act;

The Government is working out a roadmap for judicial reforms. The setting up of Gram Nyayalayas will be an important measure to reduce arrears. There are as many as 2.6 crores of arrears and the Gram Nyayalayas are likely to reduce around 50 % of the pendency of cases in subordinate courts.

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