KT edit: One-day courts will ensure swift justice for all

When fairness and justice are a given in a society, peace prevails

The ability to deliver swift justice is hallmark of a good judicial system. And when courts can expedite the process to settle at least petty crimes in a time-bound manner, it sends out a message that the system values its people as much as it upholds justice. Ras Al Khaimah was the first emirate in the UAE to introduce one-day courts in the UAE in 2017. Since then, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have established their own one-day courts and have had great success so far. The waiting time in Dubai during the initial days of the launch of such special courts, for instance, was cut short by about 60 per cent, and it saved the government millions of dirhams. The decision of the UAE’s Federal Judiciary to now have similar courts at the federal level will be beneficial to the wider population in the country. One-day misdemeanor courts will be established in every federal judicial department to look into over 50 misdemeanors within a day.

According to the ministerial decision, the new misdemeanor courts may look into some of the cases addressed by the Penal Code, including traffic fines, labour strikes, eavesdropping on phone calls, profanation of burial sites, etc. in addition to other minor wrongdoings. Justice delayed is justice denied. Keeping that in mind, the aim here is to shorten the process of investigation and prosecution and deliver a verdict in two phases in less than 24 hours. In the absence of such procedures, minor cases that are brought to court’s notice can sometimes take three to six months to be resolved. In some cases, such proceedings can also interfere with important processes such as visa renewals. One-day courts at the federal level will iron out such issues.

When fairness and justice are a given in a society, peace prevails. There’s harmony among people when there is trust in the law of the land. The leadership of the UAE has built a strong foundation, which is based on principles that have stood the test of time. The constant pursuit of excellence has ensured that the standards of governance are always in sync with changing time. The recent decision of the government to allow legal proceedings in the court to happen in the language that defendant is comfortable with is another case in point that shows the reformist nature of courts in the country. The march to a progressive future is on.