The Centre's plan to set up 5,000 'gram nyayalayas' across the country to bring justice delivery system to the common man's doorsteps has not found favour with the state governments.

More than a year after the Gram Nyayalaya Act was notified, only four states have established such rural courts, while five have rejected the idea citing various reasons.

According to figures compiled by the Law Ministry, since the Act was notified on October 2, 2009 to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti, four states together have established 96 rural courts while five others, including Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, have informed the Centre about their unwillingness to set up such courts.

"Due to urbanisation, there is no need to set up Gram Nyayalayas," Delhi government said in its response to the Law Ministry.

Similarly, the Andhra Pradesh government informed the Ministry that "there is no need to set up Gram Nyayalayas as the existing system is found very effective".

The other states which have refused to set up rural courts are Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Madhya Pradesh has set up 45 gram nyayalayas, Maharashtra nine, Orissa one and Rajasthan 46. Out of the total 96 rural courts established by these states, only 48 are operational.

Law Minister M Veerappa Moily had recently inaugurated Rajasthan's first rural court in the subordinate court premises in Bassi near capital Jaipur.

A total of Rs 13.47 crore has been released to the four states so far.

A few months ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had strongly pitched for setting up of these courts to provide affordable justice to the vast majority living in villages.

Only 15 of the 28 states have so far responded to the letters sent by the Law Ministry, seeking proposals for setting up the Gram Nyayalayas to bring down three crore pending cases in lower courts.

Jharkhand has formed a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary of the state "to look into the matter." Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have agreed to set up these courts subject to cent per cent financial assistance from the Centre.

Parliament had passed the Gram Nyayalayas Act in December 2008. The law provides for setting up of mobile courts at panchayat level, which would be presided over by a judicial magistrate (nyayadhikari), with powers to decide criminal and civil matters within six months.