Lack of regular presiding officer of Bhadrachalam mobile court troubles tribal litigants

For the last several years, the mobile court cases have been heard by officers on full additional charge (FAC). Over 6,000 cases have been pending in the court which has a territorial jurisdiction of Scheduled Area covering 28 mandals of erstwhile Khammam and Mulugu districts.

Kothagudem: Tribal litigants are facing difficulty in getting their civil disputes resolved due lack of a regular presiding officer for sub-divisional magistrate mobile court at Bhadrachalam.

The court which was established in 1990 by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government through a GO Ms No 406 aimed to administer speedy justice to people living in remote villages in the agency area. It was one of the nine mobile courts established by the government by sanctioning funds towards recurring expenditure along with the posts of munsif magistrate, clerks, record assistant, an armed head constable and a constable, cook, driver and a van. Initially the court handled criminal cases and since 2004 it has been dealing with only civil disputes.

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Speaking to Telangana Today, Bhadrachalam Bar Association president Thota Devadanam noted that due to lack of regular a special assistant agent to the government cum sub-divisional magistrate is causing delay in resolving pending cases. For the last several years, the mobile court cases have been heard by officers on full additional charge (FAC). Over 6,000 cases have been pending in the court which has a territorial jurisdiction of Scheduled Area covering 28 mandals of erstwhile Khammam and Mulugu districts.

In addition to that, a van, purchased in 1990, used to operate the mobile court has become defunct. As the budget towards recurring expenditure has not been sanctioned, it has become tough to operate the court, Devadanam explained.

Upset over the alleged indifferent attitude of the successive governments, a tribal woman Appala Narsamma filed a special revision petition before the High Court in 2014. The then government was directed by the court to take immediate steps towards improving the functioning of the mobile court.

Memorandums have been submitted to the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration, officials and the Minister as well as the local MLA seeking to address the problem on a war footing basis. But no steps have been taken so far in that direction hampering administration of civil justice to tribal and poor litigants, lamented Devadanam.

He further noted that the pecuniary jurisdiction (the power of a court to decide matters based on their monetary value) of the mobile court needs to be enhanced. In accordance with the Agency Rules 1924, the court’s pecuniary jurisdiction was fixed at Rs.5000. Since its inception the same has continued without reviewing, modifying and enhancing from time to time.

The pecuniary jurisdiction it needs to cope up with the current contemporary fiscal situation. It should be enhanced on par with junior civil judge court pecuniary jurisdiction of Rs.20 lakh to meet ends of justice, Devadanam added.