Pune Cantonment Court relocates to Wanowrie

11 June 2024

Pune- The Pune Cantonment Court, previously situated on MG Road, is temporarily being shifted to Mahatma Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan, Wanowrie. This shift is being made owing to the problem of lack of space and the run-down status of the structure. The court has been functioning from MG Road since the British era and it handles cases from Hadapsar, Cantonment, Kondhwa, Wanawadi, and Mundhwa police stations. According to the Lawyers’ Association, it is currently handling about 30,000 cases requiring adequate space.

As of now, three courts are functional at Wanowrie and since the load of the cantonment court keeps increasing as it handles cases from five police stations, two more courts must be made functional to reduce pending cases. We require strong ground infrastructure in place and follow-ups are being carried out with the law and judiciary department, law ministry, Bombay High Court, and district court.

A lawyer mentioned that they had been witnessing rainwater seep into the court as well as bar rooms which caused significant damage to legal papers. We have also raised funds to cover the roof with a tarpaulin sheet. The board administration has requested the district court to shift the cantonment court numerous times so that the old structure can be demolished. Plans are being made to open two additional courts and an adequate parking space for lawyers, litigants, and policemen. A basic facility such as clean washrooms should also be provided for visitors and attention must be paid to the rights of lawyers, citizens, courts, undertrials, and all other stakeholders by the administration.

The cases coming under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act which encapsulates cheque bouncing involving both private complaints and non-cashing of cheques are dealt with by the cantonment court. According to the PCB officials, persisting issues of rainwater seepage, leakage during monsoon, insufficient parking space, and unhygienic washrooms made it crucial to relocate. The problems are not only limited to lawyers but they also affect litigants and policemen, therefore, shifting was pertinent to ensure the old structure gets repaired soon.