Delays in routine practices and procedures don’t only cause inconveniences to the people in the delivery of public services and access to certain basic services and facilities but certain losses suffered by the Government due to delays in procedures and practices are not compensated even for years together.
Though in the ongoing digital era there is absolutely no scope for delays in directions and observations coming from courts but it happens in Jammu & Kashmir even after the introduction e-office system of Governance not this year but two years back. Though Jammu & Kashmir High Court in one of it’s directions to the Jammu & Kashmir Government had last year directed it to stop delays in filing responses to directions and observations sent to it by the courts but the working of the Government departments has not changed even on the directions of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. Knowing that directions of this nature from the Jammu & Kashmir High Court won’t just reduce the pendencies in the courts but would also ensure speedy trial of the cases , the delays in responses to the directions and observations coming from the courts should have been unprecedentedly reduced..Delays in exceptional cases instead of becoming a routine practice even after the introduction of the e-office system of governance is thus a concern which has been noticed by the Jammu & Kashmir High Court last year. Otherwise also delays in routine practices and procedures don’t only cause inconveniences to the people in the delivery of public services and access to certain basic services and facilities but certain losses suffered by the Government due to delays in procedures and practices are not compensated even for years together. In fact e-office system of governance is good not only for speedy trial in courts but also for speedy disposal of cases in the Government Departments.
“It is for the Government to set time lines for submitting responses to the directions and objections coming from the courts day in and day out. After all disposal of court cases does not only ease the speedy delivery of justice but it also removes all the unwanted bottle necks which unnecessarily impede the execution of developmental projects and consequently the developmental process”.
Introducing e-office system of Governance is not just for clearance of pending files in short time in Government Departments but also for changing the work culture in Government Departments for the purposes of hassle free delivery of public services. In fact e-office system of Governance is best suited to the broader objective of reducing red tapism in Government departments which in turn would be an ideal way to enforce institutional and administrative accountability in Government offices. To further the causes of speedy delivery of justice to the people in courts it is for the Government to set time lines for submitting responses to the directions and objections coming from the courts day in and day out. After all disposal of court cases does not only ease the speedy delivery of justice but it also removes all the unwanted bottle necks which unnecessarily impede the execution of developmental projects and consequently the developmental process.
