Kochi, Aug 21 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Thursday ordered the constitution of a committee to address issues relating to judicial administration in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

A division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. said that the committee will include the Registrar General of the High Court, the Principal District Judge, the District Collector, a nominee of the UT Administrator, the Superintendent of Police, the Superintending Engineer, the Registrar Computerisation and a representative of the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

It will be called the ‘Lakshadweep Judicial Administration and Infrastructure Committee’.

“We have issued various orders, but the main order is the constitution of the committee,” the court said, passing the directions in a suo motu matter concerning the improvement of the judicial system in Lakshadweep.

The case was initiated after issues related to persistent judicial infrastructure and manpower challenges, caused by the geographical dispersion of the islands, were brought to the notice of the court.

In January 2025, the administrative side of the High Court filed a response stating that while Lakshadweep has 10 inhabited islands, court services are only available on three.

It said that this impedes the ability of residents in other islands to seek legal recourse for their grievances.

The newly-constituted committee is expected to examine these challenges and suggest practical measures for improving judicial accessibility, infrastructure, staffing and digital connectivity across the scattered islands.

The high court emphasised that addressing these issues was crucial to ensure that residents of Lakshadweep enjoy the same access to justice as citizens on the mainland.

The matter will be taken up again after the committee submits its recommendations.

Lakshadweep, the country’s smallest Union Territory, is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km.

It is a uni-district Union Territory and the capital is Kavaratti. All Islands are 220 to 440 km away from the coastal city of Kochi.

–IANS

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