SC for separate judiciary budget

The Bench was specially formed on the initiative of the CJI after his many personal visits to subordinate courts across the country was condensed into a study report. Its main purpose is to find ways to generate funds to improve subordinate judiciarys infrastructure.

I am personally visiting subordinate courts in every state. I am going to one next week. The mountain has to go to Mohammed, the CJI said. The court reiterated its earlier declarations that funds collected by the courts through fines and court fees go back to the states coffers,instead of the judiciary being able to use it constructively for its own infrastructural needs.

It observed that three categories of fund generation have been identified court fees,fines imposed in criminal courts and costs imposed by courts which can be channeled to a Special Purpose Vehicle,set up to cater to judicial infrastructural development works. Why should we not have separate accounting of money recovered under these three heads court fee,cost and fine, the Bench said and sought a response from the Centre and state governments within two weeks.