Part-time judges will reduce High Court backlog - Chancellor

Part-time judges will reduce High Court backlog – Chancellor

Feb 28, 2009 News

The appointment of part-time judges will reduce the backlog of cases in the High Court, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, said yesterday.

Justices Diana Fazeela Insanally (right) and Franklyn Delano Holder

During the swearing-in of two new puisne judges at the Office of the President yesterday, Justice Singh said that the additional judges will complement those already on board.

According to the Chancellor, backlog has always been a problem for the High Court.

The two new judges appointed by President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday were Diana Fazeela Insanally and Franklyn Delano Holder.

Justice Insanally has been practising law for about19 years now, while Justice Holder has been in the legal profession just over 15 years.

The two newly appointed judges will join High Court judges, Justices William Ramlal, Claudette La Bennett, Roxanne George-Wiltshire, Dawn Gregory-Barnes, Winston Patterson, James Bovell-Drakes, Rishi Persaud, Brassington Reynolds and Chief Justice Ian Chang.

Justice Jainarayan Singh has retired and his position is to be filled. The Judicial Service Commission had recommended the judges since last year April and, despite the shortage of judges and the unprecedented backlog that exists in the court system, more than nine months passed before they were sworn in.

There are currently more than 500 cases pending in the High Court. Statistics acquired from the court late last year showed that, at the end of 2007, there were 512 criminal cases pending.

Up to end of November last year 35 cases had been filed for the year, and 24 cases were completed.