Judicial Reforms in India: A Path to Justice
India’s judicial system, rooted in the Constitution, faces significant challenges, including case backlogs, delays, and limited access to justice.
With over 50 million pending cases as of 2025, judicial reforms are critical to ensuring timely and equitable justice. Recent efforts aim to modernise the judiciary, enhance efficiency, and restore public trust.
One key reform is the integration of technology. The e-Courts Mission Mode Project has digitised court records, enabled virtual hearings, and introduced e-filing systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual courts proved effective, reducing physical infrastructure dependency. However, digital access remains uneven, particularly in rural areas, necessitating robust infrastructure and training for stakeholders.
Another focus is addressing case pendency. The Supreme Court’s push for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, like mediation and arbitration, has decongested courts. Lok Adalats, resolving disputes amicably, settled over 7 million cases in 2023 alone. Fast-track courts for specific cases, such as crimes against women, have also gained traction, though their scalability is limited by funding and judicial vacancies.
Judicial vacancies remain a bottleneck. Over 25% of sanctioned posts in high courts and subordinate courts are vacant. The Collegium system’s slow appointment process has prompted calls for a transparent, merit-based mechanism. The proposed All India Judicial Service (AIJS) could streamline recruitment but faces resistance over federal concerns.
Access to justice is another priority. Legal aid programs under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) provide free services to marginalised groups, but awareness and outreach need improvement. Additionally, reforms to simplify legal procedures and promote vernacular language use in courts could make justice more inclusive.
While these reforms signal progress, challenges like political interference, inadequate funding, and resistance to change persist. Sustained commitment from the government, judiciary, and civil society is essential to transform India’s judicial landscape, ensuring justice is swift, fair, and accessible to all.
While structural reforms are easier to do, the idealogical reforms on the other hand are the place where Bharat finds itself today. These will not only need the much required political will and the support of the people at large.
India stands ay a crossroads where our bus has arrived, it is for us to either get on or miss it once again and regret it later. The judiciary itself needs to introspect the public opinion and the sentiment of the larger section of society. There are few who are loud and have the approach within the media as well as support of the ecosystem, which by the way is an international one. We see a similar game being played by these institutions in USA, France, Romania, Pakistan, Brazil etc..
The old globalists have taken out all their weapons to fight this final battle of wits.. the game has finally begun..
Aadi Achint
