New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday rejected Odisha government’s application seeking exemption from paying a cost of Rs 1 lakh imposed by the apex court for delay in filing counter affidavit in respect to a petition seeking establishment of village courts (Gram Nyayalayas).
A three-judge bench of Justices NV Ramana, Krishna Murari and Sanjiv Khanna denied exemption to Odisha and Chhattisgarh and doubled the penalty amount upon the states which had not filed their responses within the stipulated time of one week.
Significantly, the SC had imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on Odisha for not filing counter affidavit in response to its order over setting up of Gram Nyayalayas in the state.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by National Federation of Societies for Last Justice seeking a direction to the Union government and all the states for taking steps to set up village courts under the supervision and monitoring of the apex court.
Significantly, Gram Nyayalayas Act was passed by the Parliament in 2008 for establishment of village courts to ensure speedy and easy access to justice in rural areas of the country.
