Last year, from September to August, prosecutors focused their efforts on expediting the progress of 1,800 cases that have laid dormant for years due to lack of evidence. (Photo : Reuters)
For the past month, China has seen a 29-percent year-on-year increase in the number of lawsuits filed, after its courts adopted an easier scheme of filing procedure earlier in May.
On May 1, Chinese courts have changed their filing procedure--from accreditation to registration--which in turn has significantly decreased the hindrances and barriers in filing for a case.
Compared with the previous process, cases are now being accepted by courts after the complainants have met the basic requirements.
Since May 1 until June 4, around 1.13 million cases were already filed across the nation, according to a statement released by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Thursday.
Figures show that administrative cases have increased the most, after rising by a whopping 221 percent. Meanwhile, civil cases have risen to 27.8 percent and private prosecution of criminal cases by 14 percent.
The SPC statement also stated that with the statistics, the filing procedure has fulfilled its purpose.
Earlier in May, Wang Mingda, the Beijing High People's Court vice president, said that the revision on the filing procedure has paved the way for more people to protect their interests, adding that the public now has a better understanding on how to use the legal system.
However, the SPC also pointed out that the increase in the lawsuits filed before Chinese courts could challenge the efficiency of the country's court system, citing that it is already understaffed.
The SPC vowed to address this manpower problem and added that it will further streamline the filing procedure for the betterment of its service provision.
