Top court urges judges to embrace rise in number of cases

The Supreme People's Court has urged courts at all levels to enhance judicial work and better handle cases after the judicial system reported a remarkable surge of new cases in the first nine months.

Courts nationwide accepted and heard more than 12 million new cases as of the end of September, a 18.42 percent increase compared with the same period of last year, said the top court in a statement it marked as "urgent" on Sunday.

It said the rise in number of new cases was due to a variety of reasons, including the newly established registration system which requires courts to accept any legitimate lawsuits when they are filed. The amended Administrative Procedural Law, which makes it more easily for common people to sue the government, also contributed to the increase.

In addition, it said older cases that have not been closed also added up.

The top court urged courts at all levels to analyze prominent problems and better support judges to focus on case handling work. "Time spent on meetings, research, business trips and training that are not relevant to case handling should be cut back to make sure judges have more time and energy on cases," it said.

It also called for senior judges to play a leading role in cracking complicated cases. While certain procedures stipulated by law, such as fast-track rules and summary procedures should be made best of to improve trial efficiency.

However, courts should not shun new cases by closing their doors, forcing people to withdraw a lawsuit or fabricating data, it noted.

The rise of new cases takes place as China is pushing for a ground-breaking legal reform, which aims to cultivate more professional judges and reduce government officials' interference on cases. Better salaries and an independent promotion system are expected to facilitate the reform. Endi