“THE PLIGHT OF THE INDIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM: CHALLENGES, DELAYS, AND THE QUEST FOR REFORM”
AUTHOR – VANMATHI N, STUDENT AT TAMILNADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY
BEST CITATION – VANMATHI N, “THE PLIGHT OF THE INDIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM: CHALLENGES, DELAYS, AND THE QUEST FOR REFORM”, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (14) OF 2025, PG. 618-633, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
CHAPTER – 1
1.1 Introduction
The Indian judicial system, often regarded as the guardian of democracy and protector of constitutional rights, is currently facing a serious crisis of credibility. With over 4.7 crore pending cases, delays have become the defining feature of justice delivery, making the maxim “justice delayed is justice denied” more relevant than ever. Prolonged litigation erodes public trust, hampers economic development, weakens democratic institutions, and undermines the fundamental promise of human rights.
The roots of this crisis lie in chronic case backlogs, persistent judicial vacancies, inadequate court infrastructure, procedural complexities, and unequal access to justice. Although several reform initiatives—such as the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, ADR mechanisms, fast-track courts, and the expansion of public interest litigation have attempted to improve efficiency, their overall impact has been uneven and insufficient to meet the scale of the problem. This underscores the need for deeper structural, procedural, and technological reforms.
This paper critically examines these challenges, evaluates the effectiveness of existing reforms, and incorporates comparative insights from global systems such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Strengthening judicial efficiency is essential not only for effective governance but also for safeguarding the rule of law. As India envisions becoming a developed nation by 2047, comprehensive judicial reform remains an urgent democratic imperative.