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Judiciary sets itself for battle
2003-08-26
China Daily
Supreme People's Court President Xiao Yang's latest call for justice and efficiency demonstrates his resolve to improve the current judicial practices.
At a meeting of high court presidents on Sunday, the top justice urged judges nationwide to wrap up all long-standing unresolved cases by November.
Aiming to build "judicature for the people," the Supreme People's Court will also introduce a series of measures later this year to regulate judges' performances, make sure litigants are better informed and tighten up the enforcement of court rulings, Xiao said.
The new measures are likely to help make the judicial authority's work more efficiently.
Hearing over 6 million cases a year, the court system is often criticized for its poor efficiency and unjust judgments that occur at times.
The tardy work of many courts has led to unbearable costs in terms of time and money for litigants and worse still, prolonged custody of suspects in criminal cases.
Despite the constant progress the judicial authority is making, the performance of some local courts remains poor often because of corruption or a lack of proficiency.
Xiao's deadline to sort out long-standing cases reflects a resolve of self-discipline.
However, how far Xiao's reform can go will to some extent hinge on the court's handling of interference from local powers over trials and enforcement, which leads to criticism from the public.
One encouraging sign is that there are gradually more ways to rein in power in line with the top leadership's promise to use authority for the people and to have a greater respect for the law.
As administrative departments outline the limits of their power, the judicial authority's aggressive move to better perform its role is well slated.
A sound execution of judicial power will advance the country's cultivation of the rule of law.
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