Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: A Call for Timeous Court Rulings in Ghana

Abstract

One basic tenet of rule of law and adjudication of justice is the need to follow due processes of law. Admittedly, doing this in any competent court of law may bring about some delays. However when such delays become unreasonable and without justifiable cause, they cause unnecessary hardships for people in a manner that undermine human rights and access to justice. One problematic area in Ghana’s justice system delved into by this paper is the issue of delay in court ruling long after hearing and conclusion of cases. Even though there are rules that prescribe time limits for court rulings, these rules appear to be inconsistent with certain parts of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and have been interpreted by the nation’s Supreme Court in a manner that seemingly strips them off their legal effect. This paper reviews the rules of time limit for court ruling and analyzes how they have been interpreted by the Supreme Court in the light of some provisions of the 1992 Constitution. It makes recommendations for reform in the rules of time limit in a manner that makes them more justiciable and enhances timeous delivery of judgment after a case has been heard.

Keywords: Supreme Court; Ruling; Delays; Justice; Timeous; Ghana; and 1992 Constitution