HYDERABAD, Feb 14: Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Mushir Alam has said that the newly enforced judicial policy has sped up disposal of cases in courts, reducing caseload to 125,000 from 400,000 before the implementation of the policy.

About 38,000 old cases which had been lingering on in courts pending trial had been brought down to only 3,000 and hopefully all pending cases would be decided by March this year, he said while chairing a meeting of judges of the SHC, lower courts and special courts at Darbar Hall and later talking to journalists here on Thursday.

He put blame for delay in cases` disposal on huge workload and shortage of police officials. There were only 100 police officers to investigate about 15,000 FIRs, he said.

Despite such odds, police were performing satisfactorily and the officers concerned were well aware of their responsibilities, he said and rejected reports of lack of coordination between the administration and the courts.

He said the shortage of judges in the SHC and lower courts would be overcome soon. Interviews of candidates had been announced and vacant posts would be filled soon, he said.The CJ said that courts were playing a very proactive role in disposal of the cases of human rights violations in the shortest time possible to minimise suffering of victims.

He said the judiciary had always tried its best to remove hurdles to the administration of justice.

The onus rested on officials concerned and public at large to implement courts` verdicts in letter and spirit, he said.

He said that blame-game would not lead the system anywhere and it could be improved through coordinated efforts. Judges always took criticism in a positive way and if there was a mistake or shortcoming they would try to make up for it, he said.

Answering a question, the CJ expressed satisfaction over performance of lower courts and said people would have to face some problems despite the judiciary`s best efforts to dispense justice.

SHC judges Sajjad Ali Shah, Aftab Ahmed Gorar, SHC registrar Abdul Malik Gaddi, district and sessions judge of Hyderabad and other judges of lower courts attended the meeting.

Later, the CJ planted a sapling in the premises of district and session court Hyderabad.

A day earlier on Wednesday, MrJustice Mushir Alam said at a seminar on `Rule of law and reforms in judiciary` at the district and sessions court in Kotri that role of judiciary and lawyers had attained great importance and it had changed scenario of the entire country.

The seminar was organised by the District Bar Association of Jamshoro.

The CJ praised bold steps taken by Chief Justice of Pakistan and said every judicialofficershould actin accordance with the law without accepting influence from any quarter.

He said that judges wanted the judiciary free from corruption and they would leave no stone unturned to achieve this goal. Bars were strong enough to get rid of troublemaking advocates, he said.

About state of affairs at the Sindh University which often remained closed because of strikes by teaching and nonteaching staff, the judge said he would personally look into the matter.

DBA president Agha Kausar Hussain and general secretary Aijaz Ahmed Awan informed the chief justice the bar had filed a constitutional petition at the SHC Karachi in this connection and urged the CJ to take action.

The DBA presented the CJ gifts of Sindhi cap and Ajrak and held a dinner in his honour.