THE OLD LADY JUSTICE

Written by: Ushasi Dey

Edited by: Yashi Shah                 

REFORMS IN THE INDIAN JUDICIARY

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied ~ William E. Gladstone

The Indian democracy, being the largest in the world, is upheld by its judicial system. While the source of the judiciary’s power is the constitution, its strength comes from the faith of Indian citizens. Lack of faith would lead to chaos, where people would hesitate too if at all, approach courts in pursuit of justice. The prevalence of justice in our society is highly dependent on the judiciary, which is why its efficiency is integral to the success of the social order of India. As long as the citizens of India believe in the mechanisms and integrity of courts, the judiciary remains the interpreter of laws and the determinant of social justice that it should be. 

Unfortunately, some issues restrict the reach of our laws to all Indian citizens. One of the most prominent concerns our country is facing is the sizable backlog of cases in courts. Corruption within courts makes the integrity and fairness of the judiciary questionable. Judicial overreach is another issue that calls for reform.

Over the years, many committees have been set up, some of them under the supervision of eminent, erstwhile members of the highest court in the land. But despite their detailed recommendations on what should be done, and how technology could be used to improve the judicial system, every last one of them has had precious little to show by way of results for the efforts.

The government must: develop the alternate dispute resolution methods; improve the quality of the judges appointed, and employ qualified staff and adequate resources and equipment; promote values of equality, speed, and quality which should be practiced by judges and lawyers; prescribe time limits for all court cases to deal with the issue of pendency; utilize technology to develop an efficient digital resource management system and to increase the productivity of courts; establish an internal institutional mechanism to deal with corruption among judges; further develop the use of fast-track courts; increase the number of trial courts at the intermediate Panchayat level, and provide ‘mobile courts’ to bring justice to people’s doorstep.

With all these musts in place, the Indian Judiciary will not only set a bar for itself but also reaffirm the faith of its people!