Judicial delays

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has once again aired his concern over court delays and expensive legal process which renders justice in accessible to masses in India. While inaugurating the Gauhati High Court’s permanent bench building at Itanagar on Sunday, Justice Gavai pleaded for swift justice at minimal cost.

According to latest figures, over 50 million cases are pending across the Supreme Court, High Courts and district courts. The Supreme Court itself has over 86,700 pending cases, High courts have another 53 lakh while the lower and subordinate courts have 4.6 crore cases. It is estimated that at the current rate of disposal, it would take 325 years for these courts to clear the cases.

As could be gleaned from the latest Bombay High Court’s acquittal of 19 accused in the 2006 train blast cases, the gravity of the tardy process could just be imagined. The hardship suffered by the litigants due to huge vacancies of judges and frequent adjournments only renders the process expensive, not merely causing distress but also erosion of trust in the process.

If the litigation involves businesses, losses are financial, often ruining the businesses. In criminal cases, justice eludes the victims while culprits sit pretty.Heeding Justice Ga vai’s call would entail a thorough review of the judicial process, reasons for delays, filling the judges vacancies, simplifying the judicial process and use of technology to impart efficiency to the system.