Kathmandu, Apr. 8:Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhyaya today said that the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 envisioned a competent and independent judiciary and stressed on Bar-bench co-operation toensure justice to the public.

Upadhyaya also said that it was necessary to discuss the issues relating to quick disposal of cases so that justice is delivered to the needy. He referred to the initiatives undertaken to overcome bottlenecks in the process of administration of justice, and appealed to act in concert to achieve the goal of quick and accessible justice.

“The public should not suffer due to our weakness,” Upadhyaya told the inaugural session of a one-day workshop on ‘Enhancing Efficiency of the Justices’ here this morning.

Supreme Court Justice Laxman Prasad Aryal presenting his working paper said that the present Constitution upheld the concept of an efficient judiciary, adding that the justices should make every effort to enhance their personal as well as institutional efficiency.

Aryal further said that inefficiency on part of the judges would give the public an impression that the judiciary was not fair. “The judges should take personal initiatives to develop a clean image of the judiciary.”

The non-governmental organisations can work with judiciary to make significant contribution for enhancing the efficiency of the justices, said Aryral.

Supreme Court Spokesman and workshop co-ordinator Kashi Raj Dahal said that the justices needed to keep themselves updated with the new legal concepts and trends.

Dahal said that the workshop would focus on important judicial issues related to justice rendering such as hearing management and sentencing criteria.

Rural Development Foundation (RDF) President Krishna Man Pradhan said that his organisation is committed to good governance and interested to work to facilitate the process of people’s access to justice. The foundations is  working to help develop alternative measures of dispute settlement, he added. He assured of the Foundation’s cooperation in executing activities to enhance social justice and good governance.

Organised jointly by the Judicial  Council Secretariat and RDF, the workshop aimed at discussing various issues related to justice dispensation so as to ensure people’s access to justice. At the workshop four senior judges of the Supreme Court Laxman Aryal, Kedar Nath Upadhyaya, Hari Prasad Sharma and Krishna Jung Raymajhi presented working papers on different substantive and procedural issues relevant to efficient administration of justice, Senior advocate Ganesh Raj Sharma also presented paper on the theme of case hearing with particuliar reference to the role of lawyers.

The workshop was participated in by over 40 lawyers and judges from the supreme court,  appellate courts and district court.