Over 1.36L cases disposed of by Orissa High Court in 2022

Cuttack: The disposal of cases by Orissa High Court (HC) increased by over 29.86 per cent compared to 2021.

According to the Annual Report, 1,36,599 cases were disposed in 2022 at a Case Clearance Rate (CCR) of 130.94 per cent as compared to 1,05,182 cases in 2021.

Similarly, disposal of cases by district judiciary increased by over 116.02 per cent compared to 2021. The district courts disposed of 5,15,392 cases at a Case Clearance Rate (CCR) of 93.20 per cent compared to 2,38,588 cases in 2021.

The report says, as many as 2,118 judgments were delivered by the High Court in 2022 compared to 810 in 2021 and at least 1,61,263 judgments were delivered by the district courts in 2022 compared to 72,806 in 2021.

The report said, in the beginning of 2022, the working strength of the High Court was 18. It rose to an alltime high i.e. 24 in the month of August and remained 22 at the end of the year. While 1 Judge was transferred and 2 Judges retired, 7 Judges were sworn in during the year. The sanctioned strength also increased during the year from 27 to 33.

The Vulnerable Witness Deposition Centres (VWDCs) serve the primary purpose of enabling the witnesses in trials to depose without any fear or intimidation.

A VWDC comprises three rooms: a Virtual Court Room with electronic devices and cameras, including a screened chamber for the accused, a separate witness waiting room and a witness deposition room from where the witness can speak without having to physically face the accused. VWDCs in 2 districts had been inaugurated in 2021.

The judgment of Supreme Court of India in Smruti Tukaram Badade Vrs. State of Maharashtra (2022) SCC Online SC 78 came on 11th January, 2022. Thereafter, VWDCs were inaugurated in 13 districts on 2nd April, 2022 and in remaining districts on 14th May, 2022. Presently, there are VWDCs in every district of Odisha.