NEW DELHI: In a move that may help deal with the huge number of pending cases, the Delhi high court has announced the creation of 47 new courts in the capital.

Though the formal announcement of the expansion of courts came on Thursday, the decision had been finalized earlier this week. The new courts, which will come up in six district courts complexes from January 15, will deal with trial in heinous offences and civil matters including motor accidents cases.

The executive order, signed by high court registrar general, Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, also says due to the increase in the number of courts, 78 officers of Delhi Higher Judicial Services (additional district and sessions judges) and 150 officers of Delhi Judicial Services (civil judges and magistrates) have been transferred.

“The creation of new courts will certainly result in expediting the trials both in the district courts as well as in the HC,” Sehgal said.

Two senior trial court judges --Satinder Kumar Gautam and Brijesh Kumar Garg-- have been appointed ?as joint registrars of the high court to deal with civil matters and expedite cases.

Along with the decision to increase the number of courts, HC has asked the district judges to also ensure ?that litigants are not inconvenienced and are informed within two weeks about which court their pending ?case has been re-assigned to so that ?”no inconvenience is caused to lawyers and litigants in the transfer of ?the cases”.

It has also instructed the judges who have either been promoted or transferred, to ensure they pronounce judgments in matters lying reserved for a verdict.

On Wednesday, Kejriwal and law minister Somnath Bharti met Chief Justice N V Ramana at his residence. Sources had said they exchanged views on expediting cases and reducing backlog.