Report On The Administration Of Civil Justice In The Punjab And Its Dependencies During The Year 1876

· 1877 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

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2had been pending for more than 4 months. The heaviest pending file waa in the

3Hoshiarpur district. ‘The oldest pending casos were in the Umballa and Rawal-

4pindi districts, and date from the 2nd and 18th February 1876 respectively, The

5cause of delay has not been sufficiently explained in either case. Further ex-

6planations have been called for.

717. It will be noted that there has been again a rise of 2 days in the

8average duration of contested cases. The rise on the pre-

9sent occasion, however, seems to have been in a grent men-

10sure unavoidable. The autumn und early winter of 1876 were exceptionally un-

11healthy, and the inapility of litigants, or their wityesses, to attend on the appointed

12days in consequence of sickness is said to have ‘materially increased the annual

13average in many districts. :

14Averago duration of casos.

15The average duration of contested cases was highest in the followiuy

16districts, :—

17Shahpur i . 41 days.

18Gujrat ‘Ss BR

19Muanffargarh — xuc BOY

20Gurgdéon ae ox 88 ys

21In the two districts first named the long duration is said to be due to the

22unhealthines’ of the season, wiich affected buth,judges and litigants, and to some

23extent to the districts having been under-ofticered during a portion of the year.

24As regards Meuzaffargarh, Mr. ‘Tremlett remarks that the average is higher than it

25should be, aud that he is endeavouring to bring ubouta more gatisfactory state of

26things.’ In the Gurgaon district the average has risen from 30 days in 1875 to 33

27days in*the year under report. The rise seems to be chiefly due to high averages

28in the courts of Mr. Peacock, Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Rowe, Extra Assist-

29ant Commissioner, and Muhammad Najaf Khan, Extra Assistant Commiusioner.

3018. The average number of days the parties ina suit, or either or any of

31Averngo nymber of bp- them, had to attend Court was 3. The average is highest

32pearances, "in the Muzafargarh district, where 4 appearances sere ordi-

33narily required for the disposal of a cuse.

34‘Plainta rejected or re- 19. During the year 4,831 plaints were rejected or

35iene returned, ay compared with 9,354 ir 1875.

36C.—MIscELLANRQgus CASES.

37.

38, 20. The returns show an incréase of 18 per cent in the miscellaneous busi-

39ness of Civil* Courts. ‘The total number of miscellaneous cases disposed of by

40Civil Cayrts during the year amouritedd to 186,297; as compared with 164,720

41in the previous year. By for the greater number of thse cases were cases con-

42nected witli executions of decrees, a subject which will be dealt with separately

43in a later section of this report.

44Of the remaining clasges of cases, a fow only cull for any special remarks.

4591. Applications under Act X XVII of 1860 for certificates for collection of

46Cases under ActXXvil debts on succession have increased from 544 to 609, the

47of 1860, largest number of applications being, as usual, in the Lahore

48and Delhi districts.