Srinagar: Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey was on Thursday sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here, officials said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to him at a ceremony attended by judges, politicians and senior bureaucrats at SKICC, they said.
The warrant of his appointment was read out by the High Court’s Registrar General.
After taking oath, Justice Magrey had a virtual conference with judicial officers of both the Union territories, an official spokesman said.
All principal district and sessions judges from the two Union territories briefed him about the functioning of courts in their respective districts and the infrastructural requirements at the courts among several other issues, he said.
The spokesman said Justice Magrey asked all the judicial officers to work with zeal and dedication, and highlighted the use of technology in justice dispensation.
He impressed upon them that the foremost duty of every judicial officer is to ensure timely justice to litigants.
In order to bring down pendency, Justice Magrey issued a slew of directions to them to refer maximum cases for disposal in the upcoming Special Lok Adalat to be held on October 21.
Pendency of a large number of cases is a huge challenge which can be met by resorting to alternative dispute resolutions, he said.
Later, Justice Magrey held meetings with Bar associations of Srinagar, Jammu, and Pulwama.
Besides reviewing the functioning of courts, he also took stock of various developmental projects that are currently being carried out in the court complexes.
Earlier, on his arrival at the high court, Justice Magrey was given a ceremonial guard of honour.
