Palakkad: Putting an end to more than two decades of waiting and various levels of bureaucratic dramas, the new Attappady Munsif Magistrate Court was opened on Saturday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the court virtually.
The idea of setting up a court in Attapadi was mooted first in 2000. The High Court ordered to shift of one of the two munsiff magistrate courts in Mannarkkad to Attappady in 2004. However stiff opposition from politicians and the bureaucracy ensured that the order remained on the paper.
The reluctance of judicial officers and court employees to shift to remote places like Attappady was a major reason for the delay. Lawyers too, were hesitant to shift pointing out that they have to travel long distances from the nearby courts to appear for cases in Attappady.
This meant that litigants from Attappady had to travel a minimum of 40 km, or up to 89 km for people residing in places like Varadimala near Sholayur, to reach the nearest court situated in Mannarkkad. There are 192 tribal settlements in Attappady.
“Had it not for the government's determination, the court would not have come up now. Since the Left parties have a clear majority in unions of government employees, officers and advocates, the government decision to open the court finally got materialised,” said an officer of Palakkad collectorate.
For the new court, the government has created new posts of a judge and 22 court employees. About 25 per cent of the civil cases and 15 per cent of criminal cases involved the litigants of Attapadi, and are currently pending at the Mannarkkad Court, would immediately be transferred to the Attapadi court.
Inaugurating the new court, Pinarayi said the government was taking a committed stand to strengthen the judicial system in the state.
Vijayan said the government is also implementing various plans to ensure the welfare of lawyers. “The benefit for retiring lawyers through the Lawyers’ Welfare Fund has been increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 10 lakh. The amount of medical assistance has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The stipend system has also been introduced for newly enrolled lawyers,” he pointed out.
In the program held at Agali EMS Town Hall, Minister of Electricity K Krishnankutty was the chief guest. High Court judge and in-charge of Palakkad Judicial District Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh unveiled the plaque.
