Original source: The Imphal Free Press
Sir,
The Family Court, Lamphelpat which also happens to be the only court for the whole of Manipur state dealing with family matters and matrimonial disputes is almost defunct and its present condition and state of affairs is not only deplorable but also pitiable . With the promotion and transfer of the sitting Judge to the Sessions Court, this Family Court is left without a regular Judge even though ‘in papers’ it is being looked after by a Judge. The conduct and transaction of the cases are coming to a halt and a virtual siege due to the absence of a regular Judge.Consequently, the volume of the pending cases increase day by day by leaps and bounds and most of the of cases get delayed without reasonable causes much to the disappointment and annoyance of the litigant parties. This has aggrieved the parties and a sizeable section of the public coming to find a solution to their family woes and disputes like divorce, alimony claims, judicial separations etc. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Family Court of Manipur has been totally negelected by the authority and the Government’s turning a blind eye to it has been the sole reason for the sorry state of affairs in the lone family court in Manipur.
What is worth mentioning is the fact that without a regular Judge a court is crippled to the bones and cannot properly deliver justice to the needy. If the cases which are supposed to be disposed off in a few weeks consume several months or years together due to repeated adjournments and wanton deferments, the very purpose of keeping a court to arbitrate on family disputes gets defeated because there is an old saying that justice delayed is justice denied. What is actually needed is to immediately appoint a regular Judge to dispose of the numerous cases pending in this Family Court with no comprehensible reasons.
Therefore, the authorities concerned look must into the issue seriously and quickly appoint a regular Jugde for the lone Family Court in Manipur in the larger interest of the general public.The Government should never forget that this is the only Family court catering to the needs of a population of 27 lakh people in the State.
Yours sincerely,
Samson Khaba,
Sagolband, Imphal, Manipur-795001.