Anambra state Judiciary evolves new system of dispute resolution

“Most cases to be settled at pre-trial stage”- Justice Peter
Umeadi.

Anambra State Judiciary has evolved a better system of dispute
resolution that would ensure the settlement of cases using
Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR mechanism, even at pre-trial
stage without going through full-scale litigation processes.

This new system of case management and conflict resolution was
unveiled by the state Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, during the
swearing-in of Eleven Deputy Chief Registrars incharge of Case
Evaluation in all the judicial divisions in the state.

The DCR’s are saddled with the responsibility of evaluating the
contentions issues in all civil cases brought before the high court
and advice litigants on appropriate means of resolving their
disputes either by exploring the Multi-door Court System using ADR
or through regular court room litigation, as last resort.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Peter Umeadi described their
appointment as another bold attempt to change the way things are
done in the state judicial system, sequel to the review of the high
Court civil procedure rules.

Justice Umeadi explained that Order 4, rules 1, 2 and 3 of the
Civil Procedure Rules established the office and set out the
responsibilities of the Deputy Chief Registrars for case
evaluation, saying that the judiciary under his leadership was
poised to implement this very laudable provision in our statute
book to evolve a new era of quick dispensation of justice and
settlement of conflict.

According to Justice Umeadi, “there has been wide spread
complaints about delays in the court system. But all over the
world, efforts are being made to enhance access and hasten
processes, so that citizens would maintain trust in the system and
not get frustrated with many years of unending litigations.”

He opined that Anambra State was second only to Lagos state in
terms of the quantum of cases that comes to its courts. And Lagos
state being a highly populated megapolice “when compared with the
small population of Anambra state goes to show that on the average,
Anambra could be said to have the highest of murder cases per head,
than any other place in the country on a regular bases.”

The Chief Judge who took time to tutor the appointees on the
demands of their new office, urged them to see themselves as
pioneers who will take the state judiciary into a new era of
easier, faster and seemless adjudication of cases.

He stated that the DCR’s are “empowered to look into and resolve
all interim and interlocutory applications as stipulated in the
rules, and as may be specified by the Chief Judge from time to
time, through the practice direction.”

This he said they must achieve beginning from the period when
parties filed pleadings to the period of forty-five days that is
fixed for Pre-trial Conferences, and write their reports or issue
their certificates of settlement, for the courts to make a
consented judgement, which would finally settled such cases.

The Chief Judge promised that an induction seminar would be
organised for the case evaluation officers, to enable them
assimilate the rules and understand their responsibilities in order
to function well, in the new dispensation.

Responding on behalf of other DCR’s, Mr Nnamdi Osaka described
their appointment as a bold step towards re-engineering the wheel
of justice for optimum service delivery.

Mr Osaka promised to sustain the current wave of reform blowing
across the justice system in Anambra state, through the dogged
efforts of the Chief Judge, who doubles the chairman of Judicial
Service Commission that appointed them.

In a remark, the Executive Secretary, Anambra State Judicial
Service Commission, Chief Stanley Mbanaso said Anambra State is
brazing the trail in the area of quicker justice delivery, because
of the ingenious innovations of the state chief judge, Justice
Peter Umeadi, whose judicial activism has brought about
unprecedented reforms in the anals of the judiciary.

According to Chief Mbanaso, “the ordinary citizens is at
epi-centre of the judicial reforms being carried out by the chief
judge”, adding that the judiciary in Anambra State is alive to it’s
fundamental responsibility of being the last hope of the common
man.