A mobile courtroom in a bus has been launched in Pakistan in a bid to help clear the country’s huge backlog of cases.
Legal system reformers such as our justice secretary Chris Grayling — who today announced that he wants to stop barristers travelling significant distances for short hearings — will doubtless be looking on with interest…
The court, which deals with small civil cases, minor criminal cases and juvenile matters, is part of a £10 million project to strengthen Pakistan’s judicial system and state institutions.
Handling up to 30 cases a day, it will operate in the most remote areas of the country where there is strong support for the Taliban. It is staffed by a rotating team of eight specially trained judges and 18 lawyers, alongside a registrar and stenographer.
Somewhat scathingly, the court has been described by Agence France-Presse as “more reminiscent of a giant fast food van than an arm of the state”. Reuters, however, notes that the interior is “wood paneled”.
The plan is to introduce 11 more court-buses later this year with funding from the UN, as Pakistan grapples with its incredible 1.4 million pending cases.