– Percentage achievement of targets.
– Disposal rates for old cases.
– Leave history from the past two years for all leave requests excluding casual leave.
The introduction of a system linking judicial officers’ professional performance with their ability to take non-casual leaves raises significant concerns about fairness and functionality. While ensuring accountability within the judiciary is a valid goal,imposing conditionalities on legally entitled earned leaves risks infringing upon established employee rights under the kerala Service Rules. The argument that case backlog depends on multiple factors-staff efficiency, legal complexities, cooperation from lawyers-is crucial in understanding potential bottlenecks beyond individual judge performance.
Moreover,creating unique standards solely for judicial officers while exempting other equivalent government employees could be perceived as discriminatory. Given India’s emphasis on fairness enshrined in its Constitution, policies introducing subjective restrictions without broader institutional consensus may invite challenges or criticism. Striking a balance between maintaining accountability within courts and respecting employee entitlements appears essential moving forward.
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