Report On The Administration Of Civil Justice In The Punjab And Its Dependencies During The Year 1867

· 1868 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1( 24 )

267. 2,068, or 8 per cent, fewer cases were instituted in the District

3Small Cause Courts than in the preceding year. In that

4Decrease in institutions. :

5year, however, there was an increase of 7 per cent in the

6institutions as compared with the year 1865, so that the decrease in the year

7under report may be accounted for by tho fluctuation which is observed in

8comparing the returns of one year with these of another.

968. There bas been a decrease in the Simla, Loodiana, Jullundur,

10Tfooshiarpore, Umritsur and Lahore Courts, and an increase in the Delhi and

11Peshawur Courts. The largest decrease has occurred in the Hooshiarpore

12Court, in which the institutions fell from 4,021 in 1866, to 3,014 in 1867, or by

13nearly -25 per cent. Mr. Donald’s explanation of the cause of this decrease has

14already been referred to in para 8. The Deputy Commissioner considers that

15the decrease is in a measure due to the large number of prosecutions instituted

16against offenders against public justice; but Colonel Young thinks that it is

17not likely that these prosecutions had any effect upon the number of cases

18instituted, and the*Court concurs in this opinion.

1969. In the Lahore Small Cause Court there has also been a large

20Seer eae tee decrease, from 4,546 in 1866, to 3,834 in 1867. The

21eon eee Judge, Mr. Powell, writes that this decrcase is mainly

22attributable to the increased stamp duty, which came into force on Ist May

231867; but from the statistics given in his report it is clear that there must

24have been a decrease independently of the increase in stamp duty, os more

25than half the decrease occurred during the first four months of the year, before

26the new Stamp Act came into operation. Thus :—

27Up to April 1866, the institutions were 1,416

28ditto, 1867, ditto, w- 1,004

29Gr EER EEE

30Difference, ... —3d62

31The actual decrease in institutions for the whole year was only 712.

3270. No explanation has been given of: the decrease of 432 cases in the

33Decrease in the Jallacdur Jullundur Court, or of 415 cases in the Umritsur Court;

34ee but from statistics furnished by Mr. Roo, Officiating Judge

35of the latter Court, it appears that the falJing off occurred in the first half of the

36year between January and June. The institutions betwoen June aud December