Shillong: Good infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to ensure timely justice, Meghalaya high court chief justice Revati Mohite Dere said in Mawpat while laying the foundation stone for the East Khasi Hills district and sessions court complex.Underlining the need for modern facilities to implement BNSS, 2023, including video recording of evidence, e-filing systems, witness deposition rooms and video conferencing, Dere said the existing century-old district Court in Shillong could no longer accommodate the growing caseload, while lacking adequate space for judges, lawyers and litigants.The new court complex, she said, would provide greater dignity to litigants, improve access to justice, enable wider use of technology for faster case disposal and add courtrooms to reduce delays.Calling the district judiciary the “first point of contact” for most citizens, Justice Dere said the complex will be built on the principles of “accessibility, integrity, efficiency and humanity.”The HC CJ said the project was aimed not only at judges but at “every citizen seeking justice, including women, children, farmers, daily wage earners and other vulnerable sections” of society.State law minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the new court complex would strengthen Meghalaya’s justice delivery system, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic had underscored the need for better infrastructure and greater technological integration.
