HC Seeks Centre’s Response On Augmentation Of Debt Recovery Tribunals In Delhi Over Large Pendency Of Cases

The Delhi High Court has sought the response of the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services for augmentation of the number of Debt Recovery Tribunals in Delhi due to large pendency of cases.

The bench of Justice Najmi Waziri and Justice Gaurang Kanth has also directed to look into the concerns of the court and litigants with respect to the provision of court rooms and facilities amenable for efficient conduct of court proceedings.

This comes after Amicus Curiae Sanjeev Bhandari stated that about 10 to 15 Debt Recovery Tribunals should be constituted and made functional in Delhi so as to address the pendency of cases.

He submitted that this augmentation is especially necessary in the context of the time bound disposal of matters as envisaged in the relevant statues.

Thus the Court directed that “Let the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services look into the matter apropos the issues highlighted and the concerns of the court and litigants, with respect to i) the provision of court rooms and facilities amenable for efficient conduct of court proceedings and ii) for augmentation of the number of Tribunals in the context of large pendency of cases and large quantum of monies lying locked in litigation.”

Advocate Vishnu Vaysanal and CGSC Kirtiman Singh appeared for Respondents.

The Amicus Curiae filed some photographs showing the physical state of the court rooms of the three DRTs in Delhi.

“The state of affairs shown in the photographs cannot be considered of a forum’s conducive discharge of responsibility of adjudication by a Presiding Officer. It is more of a dump of files and records from which retrieval of cases would not be an easy task.”, the Court noted.

The Court directed the Registrar, DRAT to file a Status Report about renovation work, if any, being carried out for re-creation of the amenable court rooms so as to facilitate the conduct of meaningful proceedings.

The Court directed that the report shall also address the issue of storage/disposal records of disposed-off cases after digitisation of the same and the e-filing of petitions.

Cause Title- Indu Kapoor v. AU Small Finance Bank & Anr

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