‘New Magistrates’ Court in Anse Royale a priority,’ says CJ |11 January 2024
A new Magistrates’ Court in Anse Royale, with the capacity to dispose controlled drugs in its possession, will be among issues on top of the Supreme Court’s agenda this year over other administrative matters.
It was Chief Justice Rony Govinden who made the statement at the official reopening of the Supreme Court yesterday morning. The event was held under the theme ‘Judiciary: learning from the past and building for the future’ (Zidisyer aprann lo le pase e batir demen). The traditional event is for the Chief Justice to showcase the institution’s successes, challenges, and plans for the upcoming year and provide perspective on certain issues in the public domain.
Chief Justice Govinden stated that the Anse Royale Magistrates’ Court, built during the colonial era, provides limited space and was also deteriorating.
“The safety and working capacity of our staff is compromised, as is that of the users of the court. For this reason, I will be initiating discussions with the government to obtain a more suitable location for the administration of justice in Anse Royale,” said Justice Govinden.
Speaking on the amount of controlled drugs in their possession, which needs to be destroyed on a regular basis, Justice Govinden said it has increased more than tenfold and the space to leave them after cases are closed is limited.
“The way the court has been disposing them by knocking on the doors of other agencies every time it needs an incinerator, has to stop,” he added.
“That is why I will be appealing to the relevant authorities to provide us with our own capacity to carry out this exercise ourselves this year,” the chief Justice stated.
With regard to the theme, Chief Justice Govinden said it resonates well with their quest for a justice system that reflects and learns from its experiences in order to always do better. According to him, under the theme, the Supreme Court has analysed its 120-year history of what was good and what was bad, with a view to building a better tomorrow by delivering justice in a more ideal time by implementing new procedures and technologies while respecting the constitutional parameters.
“We remain committed to continuing to strengthen our training programmes with the aim of addressing the weaknesses of all our staff – judicial officers, researchers – to ensure that we strengthen our professional development and increase our efficiency. In the same line, measures will be taken to improve procedures and to repair our infrastructure, which experience has shown is not conducive to an efficient justice system accessible to all.”
Elaborating on changes to new rules and regulations, Chief Justice Govinden stated the changes made to the legal procedures including increasing the power of the Master of the Supreme Court by making them do some of the mediation that was done by judges and also carry out inquests, as part of steps to increase efficiency.
With regard to legal aid, Chief Justice Govinden said they have submitted a proposal to the Attorney General to consider changes to the legal aid system to allow only people who really need a lawyer and who do not have the means to pay for the services of a lawyer, to benefit.
“This change will ensure that the constitutional right is exercised without abuse and that the resources go to those who deserve them,” Justice Govinden said.
He also stated that governance of the legal profession remains a challenge, and many people still feel that the level of discipline of some lawyers needs to improve. In order to address this situation, they have submitted a Law Society Bill to the Attorney General's Office with the aim of establishing an independent council to oversee and regulate the professional activities of lawyers and to discipline them.
With regard to statistics, Chief Justice Govinden said clearing of the backlog in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court is becoming a reality, with the former having managed to clear 90 percent while the latter has reached 78 percent.
The figures represent an increase in their efficiency, allowing them to provide better service to our citizens and give them access to justice in a short period of time, said CJ Govinden.
Other issues highlighted were the ongoing digitalisation of the court, local and international training for staff, sharing of best practices with foreign bodies, and the ongoing relations with the head of state, President Wavel Ramkalawan, when necessary, with the aim of resolving the court’s challenges, as demanded by the Constitution, among others.
The ceremony at the Supreme Court included the inspection of a Guard of Honour and greeting of Judiciary officials by Chief Justice Govinden, a souvenir group photo with judicial officers and staff, followed by the cutting of a commemorative cake by the chief Justice, the President of Court of Appeal, Anthony Fernando, the Chief Magistrate, Andy Asba and the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Juliana Esticot.
Present for the event were President Ramkalawan, accompanied by First Lady, Linda Ramkalawan; Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne; the judges and staff of the Court of Appeal and of the Supreme Court; members of the diplomatic corps; lawyers, and other distinguished guests.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the ceremony at the Palais de Justice.
Patrick Joubert
Photos by Kurtrine Albert
