Time-bound justice

Innumerable plaintiffs in India discover to their grief that due process is a punishment. Moreover,the delays result from procedural conventions under judicial control. While individual judges often prove their credentials,the systemic faults compromise speedy justice delivery. Our backlog of cases is therefore staggering. In fact,the Supreme Court has spoken out about litigants right to speedy justice and free legal aid. The law ministry,proposing a review of the legal aid system too,has decided to push the current proposal despite apprehensions of the judiciarys disagreement with time-bound cases.

Why all this sounds futile is the important judicial legislation still pending,such as the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill. Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily had set out an ambitious reform agenda,but little has moved. For judicial reform,while the judiciary has to walk the extra mile,the executive must engage the former in dialogue. Behind the appeal of the right to justice as a fundamental right,lies the overhaul needed by the judicial system. Ironically,its the gargantuan backlog and number of undertrials that can ground the proposal for speedy justice. Besides epic ambitions,more realistic action is what the law ministry should be looking at.