Prayagraj, May 12 -- Quoting the "tarikh pe tarikh... milti hai to sirf tarikh" dialogue from a 1993 Bollywood film, the Allahabad high court has said that while this reflects the common man's perception of delayed justice, the massive pendency of criminal cases in district courts is not merely the fault of judicial officers, but primarily that of the state government and the police.

The court added that a judicial officer cannot decide cases without sufficient staff and the cooperation of the police to ensure the presence of the accused, witnesses and a proper forensic science laboratory (FSL) report.

The court issued a slew of directions to tackle the structural, administrative and procedural deficiencies crippling the district judici...