New Delhi, September 29, 2009: The Central Government has 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 i.e.the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

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.

Important salient features of the Gram Nyayalayas Act are it aimed at providing inexpensive justice to people in rural areas at their doorsteps, will have its 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.

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.

Gram Nyayalaya shall be a mobile court and shall exercise the powers of both Criminal and Civil Courts, the seat of the Gram Nyayalaya will be located at the headquarters of the intermediate Panchayat, they will go to villages, work there and dispose of the cases.

The Central Government has decided to meet the non-recurring expenditure on the establishment of these Gram Nyayalayas subject to a ceiling of Rs.18.00 lakhs out of which Rs.10.00 lakhs is for construction of the court, Rs.5.00 lakhs for vehicle and Rs.3.00 lakhs for office equipment.

Government has also estimated that the Gram Nyayalayas upon establishment would incur a recurring expenditure of Rs.6.4 lakhs per annum on salaries etc.

and proposes to share such recurring expenditure with the State Government for the first three years within this ceiling.

More than 5000 Gram Nyayalayas are expected to be set up under the Act for which the Central Government would provide about Rs.1400 crores by way of assistance to the concerned States/Union Territories.

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 and also to take care of the new litigations which will be disposed within six months.

This measure will usher in great revolution in disposal of cases and also to take justice to the doorsteps of the common man.

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