Senior citizens entitled to get case decided on preferential basis: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently reiterated that senior citizens are entitled to get their cases decided on a preferential basis.(Gurmeet Singh v. Vipan Kumar).Justice HS Madaan was hearing a petition filed by a 67-year-old man to eject a tenant on the ground of non-payment of arrears of rent and personal necessity. The petition had been pending before the Rent Controller, Ludhiana, the High Court was informed..The petitioner had moved the High Court for relief as the rent petition proceedings were proceeding in a very slow pace. As such, he urged the High Court to issue directions to expedite the proceedings before the Rent Controller..The High Court, in turn, observed that an expeditious trial is a right of every litigant, and more so for senior citizens. ."No doubt senior citizens are entitled to get their cases decided on preferential basis. As a matter of fact expeditious trial is right of every litigant," the order stated, in this regard..It was acknowledged that proceedings in courts have lately have been affected adversely on account of the outbreak of COVID-19. All the same, the situation at present has improved to a large extent, the judge added..In this backdrop, the Court went on to direct the Rent Controller, Haryana to make earnest efforts to conclude the proceedings in the petitioner's rent case and dispose of it as expeditiously as possible, and preferably within a period of one year..Advocate Naveen Bawa appeared for the petitioner..On a related note, the Centre had formulated a National Litigation Policy in the year 2010 to reduce the cases pending before various courts. This 2010 policy had provided for prioritising cases concerning welfare legislation, social reform, weaker sections and senior citizens and other categories requiring assistance..[Read Order]