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Appeal Court battles heavy caseload
…Nandlall says High Court ramping up work to clear backlog
The Guyana Court of Appeal (Appeal Court battles heavy caseload)
Kaieteur News- While the steps taken to ensure to deal with the backlog of cases at the level of the High Court has proven successful, Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC revealed on Tuesday that the Appeal Court has facing a new challenge in the administration of justice.
Speaking during his weekly programme ‘Issues in the News,’ Nandlall noted while the backlog is being cleared and cases ‘are moving swiftly,’ at the High Court and more needs to be done to address the heavy caseload at the level Appeal Court.
Nandlall said: “Cases are moving swiftly through the High Court to which I must give credit to the High Court judges led by the Chief Justice…We have now developed an unfortunate bottleneck or backlog at the level of the Court of Appeal. People are dying, people are migrating, their properties are deteriorating, and the appeals are not coming up for hearing, so that is something that we have to address very urgently”.
While he acknowledged that there are only three judges on the Appellate Court, the Attorney General said that “this is not an excuse and it can’t be a justification,” for the slothful delivery of rulings. “The cases are being disposed of by the High Court but now there is a large backlog at the level of the Court of Appeal.”
According to the AG, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is working to fill existing vacancies within the court. “I know the Judicial Service Commission is working to fill the vacancies at the level of the Court of Appeal… “Hopefully, we will get appointments and there will be greater speed in the disposal of cases,” he expressed.
Last June, in an effort to alleviate the massive backlog in the judiciary, 10 new judges were appointed by the JSC to the Supreme Court of Judicature.
The composition of the Supreme Court comprises the High Courts in each of the three counties and a Court of Appeal. The measure was a part of a wider endeavour to enhance the efficiency and adaptability of the legal system, which has witnessed substantial rises in caseloads over the past few years.
Since its reconstitution, the Judicial Service Commission has overseen a meticulous selection process to ensure the appointment of highly qualified judicial officers. In February, nine lawyers, many of whom served in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as state counsel, were appointed to serve as magistrates.
Three magistrates were elevated to Commissioners of Titles (Land Court Judges) recently and have been posted at the High Courts in Berbice and Essequibo. There are now at least six appellate judge vacancies at the Court of Appeal, as a result of the Court of Appeal Act being amended last year to increase the number of judges.
(Appeal Court battles heavy caseload)
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