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MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1986
IN THE HIGH COURT THE NUMBER OF INDICTMENTS FED FELL FROM 335 TO 262. THIS WAS, UNFORTUNATELY, MORE THAN BALA CED BY AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 20 PER CENT IN THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF A CRIMINAL TRIAL, MAINLY DUE TO A NUMBER OF LONG COMMERCIAL CASES,
CONSEQUENTLY, IT HAD BEEN NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN 13 CRIMINAL LISTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, A COMMITMENT WHICH WAS UNLIKELY TO LESSEN DURING 1986.
THE WAITING TIME BETWEEN THE FILING OF AN INDICTMENT AND THE FIRST DAY OF TRIAL HAS BEEN KEPT TO AN AVERAGE OF 75 DAYS, THOUGH THIS WAS LESS SATISFACTORY THAN THE 1984 LEVEL OF 63 DAYS.
HIGH COURT CIVIL WORK HAD FOLLOWED AN ODD PATTERN. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HIGH COURT ACTIONS STARTED TO DECLINE BY ABOUT 10. THE NUMBER OF CASES SET DOWN FOR TRIAL INCREASED FROM 710 TO A RECORD NUMBER OF 733.
+THIS DOES NOT GIVE A TRUE PICTURE OF THE WEIGHT OF THE CIVIL LISTS, HOWEVER. TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX OF THE 733 WERE FIXTURE LIST CASES, A CATEGORY WHICH INCLUDES THE HEAVIER CIVIL MATTERS; THERE HAS BEEN A DOUBLING OF THE NUMBER OF SUCH CASES SINCE 1981 AND AN INCREASE OF OVER A THIRD OVER 1984.
+WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEPLOY 12 JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. OUTSIDE VACATIONS, TO DEAL WITH CIVIL WORK, AS A RESULT OF WHICH THE INTERVAL BETWEEN SETTING DOWN AND TRIAL HAS VAR IED BETWEEN 11 AND 23 WEEKS WITH AN AVERAGE OF 17 WEEKS, + HE SAID.
SIR DENYS SAID THAT, TO KEEP 12 CRIMINAL AND 12 CIVIL LISTS RUNNING, THERE WAS A NEED FOR 27 JUDGES, ALTHOUGH THE AUTHORISED ESTABLISHMENT WAS ONLY 22.
+WE CAN MEET THIS PROBLEM BY CONTINUING TO USE DISTRICT JUDGES AS DEPUTIES, WHICH IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AS A PERMANENT SOLUTION. I HOPE DURING THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR, WE SHALL BE ABLE TO DECIDE WHAT SOLUTION TO ADOPT, HE SAID.
IT HAD BEEN POSSIBLE TO REINFORCE THE HIGH COURT FROM THE DISTRICT COURT WITHOUT TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY, SINCE THERE WAS A DECLINE OF ABOUT NINE PER CENT BOTH IN THE NUMBERS OF CIVIL ACTIONS STARTED AND OF THOSE SET DOWN FOR TRIAL. CRIMINAL TRIALS HAVE INCREASED FROM 1 246 TO 1 398, A JUMP OF 12 PER CENT.
THE WAITING TIME FOR A CIVIL CASE REMAINED AT ABOUT SIX WEEKS FROM SETTING DOWN AND FOR A CRIMINAL TRAIL AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT THREE MONTHS FROM TRANSFER.
IN THE MAGISTRACIES, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES DECLINED FROM 825 000 TO 655 000, A DECREASE OF ABOUT 20 PER CENT. THE NUMBER OF CHARGE SHEETS ISSUED, WHICH IS A REFLECTION OF THE MORE SERIOUS CASES, CAME DOWN FROM 184 000 TO 178 000, OR A LITTLE OVER THREE PER CENT.
/THE LABOUR