Chief Justice introduces shift system to reduce congestion of cases in court

The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has announced that her outfit has introduced a “Court Shift System” on a pilot basis to help utilize the judicial resources efficiently to manage the volume of cases.

In a letter dated March 14, 2024, and sighted by GhanaWeb, it was indicated that the initiative became imperative after research that was conducted nationwide uncovered that many courts have huge caseloads with more than 600 pending cases.

In light of this, it is expected that when the Court Shift System is implemented, it will aid in reducing the backlog of cases in the specified courts to improve accessibility to justice for citizens.

“The rational for the Court Shift System stems from the fact that, findings from a physical count of dockets undertaken in all Courts nationwide demonstrated that a number of identified Courts have huge caseloads with some in excess of 600 pending cases.

"It is envisaged that the Court Shift System when implemented will reduce the backlog of cases in the specified courts,” excerpts of the statement read.

According to the letter, the Court shift system will be implemented on a pilot basis under eight selected courts.

Read the full statement below

OFFICE OF THE JUDICIAL SECRETARY

REPUBLIC OF GHANA

ALL STAFF

IMPLEMENTATION OF COURT SHIFT SYSTEM

We write to inform you that, the Honourable Lady Chief Justice has introduced a "Court Shift System" on a pilot basis by optimizing the use of existing court resources to reduce the volume of cases before the Courts, effective 25th March 2024.

The rational for the Court Shift System stems from the fact that, findings from a physical count of dockets undertaken in all Courts nationwide demonstrated that a number of identified Courts have huge caseloads with some in excess of 600 pending cases.

It is envisaged that the Court Shift System when implemented will reduce the backlog of cases in the specified courts, improve accessibility to justice for citizens by offering flexible court hours that accommodate diverse schedules, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the judicial system.

The Court Shift System will be implemented on a pilot basis in the under-listed eight (8) selected Courts:

1. High Court '1', Adentan

2. High Court '2', Adentan

3. High Court 1, Amasaman

4. Circuit Court, Weija

5. District Court, La

6. District Court, Teshie

7. District Courts A&B, Madina

8. High Court, Nsawam

The morning shift for affected Courts will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while the afternoon session will be from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

SB/OGB