Internet outages and power outages disrupt court proceedings in district courts
RAWALPINDI:
A new biometric verification system has been launched in Rawalpindi Subordinate Judicial District for filing all types of cases including divorce cases, power of attorney, bail applications and filing of answers and comments.
However, from day one, the system completely paralyzed the process of filing new cases and applications in court.
Frequent internet slowdowns, complete outages and repeated power outages shook the foundations of the new system from day one, provoking anger among litigants, clients and lawyers.
Disputes arose between the litigants at the biometric verification points, while the biometric booths and centers remained crowded from morning to night. Women were especially distressed when trying to obtain biometric verification.
At several centres, staff allegedly charged illegally high fees for verification. The District Bar Association also demanded reforms in the system.
Lawyers and litigants faced severe difficulties in Rawalpindi district courts and all tehsil courts on the first day of implementation.
NADRA offices and biometric facilitation centers witnessed massive crowds of lawyers and litigants.
Due to long queues and internet problems, a large number of women returned home without completing biometric verification. Internet outages and power outages further paralyzed the system.
Under the new system, biometric verification of applicants has been made mandatory for filing family cases, bail applications, new cases, responses to pending cases and filing of powers. Due to the absence of women litigants and failure of biometric verification, dozens of cases could not be filed, while important bail applications and various petitions were also pending.
Lawyers Wahid Naz Janjua and Sibtain Bukhari said they were not opposed to the new system, but criticized the abrupt closure of the old system.
They suggested that both systems should run simultaneously for two to three weeks. They noted that blackouts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for several days leave litigants helpless.
They demanded open biometric verification, allowing litigants to verify from any centre, installation of generators in judicial facilitation centers and alternative internet arrangements to avoid inconvenience, especially for women.
District Bar Association President Tariq Mahmood Sajid Awan demanded installation of a biometric verification facility at the District Bar Association Office, where backup generators and batteries are available, to avoid disruption of court proceedings. Judicial sources told The Express PAkGazette that difficulties were expected at first, but the system would stabilize within a week. They said the new transparent system would help eliminate false cases.
