Kathmandu, July 31

It has already been more than two years since Kathmandu Metropolitan City formed a judicial committee, but only 378 cases have been registered with the committee.

Judicial committees have been formed in all 753 local units as per the provision in the constitution. These three-member extra-judicial bodies have the mandate to settle 13 different types of disputes through regular judicial process, including property boundary disputes, compensation for damage to crops and disputes over payment of wages. They are also authorised to settle another 11 types of disputes, including encroachment of private land and divorce, through mediation.

The judicial committees, which are headed by deputy mayors in  municipalities and vice-chairpersons in rural municipalities, are  crucial for local units because it is expensive to fight legal battles  in courts where legal proceedings are cumbersome. Despite all this, only few people have filed compliant with the judicial committee in KMC. According to local representatives, people still do not know much about judicial committee and its function. “Due to lack of awareness people do not approach the judicial committee to settle minor disputes, “ said local representatives. The data of the country’s largest local body show that the committee only records one complaint in two days, while hundreds of people go to district court or to police to settle various disputes. In the first 11 months of the fiscal 2018-19 KMC recorded only 198 such complaints. Of the total complaints, almost 63 per cent complaints were related to dispute between house owners and tenants. Of the 198 cases, two cases were filed by elderly persons demanding that their right to dignified life and food be respected.

Law enforcement officer at KMC Hari Maya Ghimire said due to lack of knowledge about local body’s role and jurisdiction, people did not approach local levels rather they preferred to knock the door of courts. Of the total 378 cases, KMC has been able to settle 284 cases and remaining 94 are sub-judice.