Law Ministry Mission on Pendency in 100 Hotspot Districts

The Ministry of Law and Justice has begun a nationwide, research-driven mission against the pile-up of cases in district and subordinate courts, and it has brought the country's National Law Universities (NLUs) in as partners. Rather than spread effort thinly, the ministry has picked out the top 100 judicial districts where pendency is heaviest and will work on those first. The mission is being run under the guidance of Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The scale of the problem

More than 5.8 crore cases are waiting for decision in courts across India, and the bulk of them sit in district and subordinate courts rather than in the higher judiciary. The ministry's own reading is sharper still: the 100 districts it has identified account for more than half of all pendency in district courts. Concentrating on them is therefore expected to move the national figure in a way that scattered effort would not.

The meeting with law universities

A video-conference meeting was called with the Vice Chancellors of nineteen National Law Universities drawn from sixteen states. It was chaired by Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State with Independent Charge for Law and Justice. Attending in person were the Secretary of the Department of Justice, the Director General (Awards), the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR and D) and the Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), besides other officials.

Ideas that were discussed

• Spotting infructuous cases that no longer need to run.
• Case profiling, so that matters are sorted by type and difficulty.
• Alternative dispute resolution and mediation-assisted settlements.
• Tighter control over adjournments, which stretch trials for years.
• Plea bargaining and wider use of the summary trial process.

What the universities will do

The ministry asked the NLUs to put their pro bono clubs, researchers and students to work on ground-level study of pendency in the chosen districts, and to come back with workable strategies. Each of the 100 districts is to get a district-specific diagnosis naming the real reasons for delay, after which the universities are to suggest mechanisms that can actually cut the backlog. All the Vice Chancellors present promised active participation and said they were willing to serve the country in this effort.

The larger aim

Closing the meeting, the minister tied the exercise to the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047, arguing that a developed India needs a justice system that is reachable, efficient, affordable, fair, quick and answerable. For an aspirant, the point to hold on to is the method: identify hotspots, diagnose each one separately, and use law schools as research arms of reform.