Gandhinagar: In response to the debate on the budget demands for the Law Department for the year 2025-26 in the Legislative Assembly, Law Minister Rushikesh Patel stated that Gujarat will become the second state in the country, after Uttarakhand, to implement a uniform civil code.

The Minister further stated that, to expedite the judicial process, the state government has made provisions for three new arbitration tribunals at the district headquarters of Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara. Additionally, it has been decided that cases related to municipalities and panchayats in the state will be heard at the arbitration tribunal.

Speaking about the e-Court Mission Mode Project, the Minister said that a provision of ₹27.84 crore has been made under this project to enhance digitalization facilities for the High Court and subordinate courts.

Providing details on Fast Track Courts, the Minister mentioned that in the past year, a total of 18,41,016 cases have been disposed of by the District Judiciary.

Various courts have been made functional across Gujarat for different types of laws. A total of 595 special courts, including those under the Atrocity Act, have been established in various districts with the approval of the High Court.

According to the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme-2019, ₹39 crore has been paid to victims of crimes such as atrocities, acid attacks, and offenses under the POCSO Act in the last three years, the Minister stated.

Law Minister Patel emphasized that the government’s priority is to ensure that citizens receive justice at their doorstep. To support the justice system with necessary infrastructure, a provision of ₹73.70 crore has been made for the construction of 10 new court buildings across different districts and talukas.

The Minister further stated that, in consultation with the High Court, the state government has established a total of 75 courts under the Atrocity Act, including 16 Exclusive Special Courts and 59 Designated Special Courts across different districts.

In the past year, a total of 1,171 cases under the Atrocity Act have been disposed of by the District Judiciary.

On the request of the State Government, the Hon’ble High Court issued instructions to all District Courts on February 11, 2025, to expedite the trial and disposal of cases under the Atrocity Act.

The budgetary demands for the Law Department were passed in the Legislative Assembly. DeshGujarat