Goa, July 7 -- "Justice delayed is justice denied," goes the saying-and in Margao, this adage is becoming a harsh reality. Nearly 60% of the trial courts in the Salcete taluka headquarters are non-functional simply because there are no judges to preside over them.

Margao hosts a total of 10 courts: four senior civil courts and six junior civil courts. Of the four senior courts, one remains shut due to the absence of a judge. The crisis is far worse among the junior civil courts, where only one out of six is operational, leaving five courts inactive.

This prolonged shortage has severely impacted the dispensation of justice in South Goa's busiest taluka. The South Goa Advocates Association had raised the alarm back in March by petitioning...