Even with the introduction of more judges and the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), the overall standards of the judiciary remain disappointingly low, says attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin.
During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Standard today, the lawyer bemoaned the lack of Court Registry infrastructure to support the efficient running of cases, the absence of a sentencing policy and council, the long wait for Appellate Court hearings, judicial officers not writing their judgments, the poor system governing probation applications, and magistrates not adhering to sentencing guidelines within the statute.
However, Datadin was keen to focus on the lack of infrastructure to support the efficient running of cases. For Datadin, who has been practising law for 22 years, this matter is crucial since it lends to the protection of the courts’ integrity.
Expounding further, the attorney said it is imperative that the courts are supported by a proper registry because the new rules contemplate the judiciary moving at a more efficient pace. He said, “But we don’t seem to have the infrastructure necessary to facilitate this. We are still in the dark ages. We are now recording in some courts. But this should be throughout the courts.”
Datadin said that the transcripts from the recordings should also be readily available to the public. Moving in this direction, he stated, would serve to protect the rights of citizens as well as the integrity of the courts from spurious allegations.
Like Datadin, other lawyers such as Christopher Ram and Anil Nandlall have acknowledged that the APNU+AFC administration has earned a few points with the introduction of new rules and specialised courts such as the sexual offences, family, and juvenile courts. They stressed, however, that poor administration remains a major issue.
Nandlall for one is on record as stating that action needs to be taken to ensure that the Court Registry operates at a speed that is in keeping with the pace anticipated by the new Civil Procedure Rules, also known as High Court Rules. He said it has to be equipped with adequate and trained staff and the equipment needed to help advance the process.
It is hoped by the lawyers that the $3.6B Minister of Finance Winston Jordan allocated to the judicial sector will go a far way in bringing about some much-needed improvements in this regard.
