Revamping Justice: CII Urges Judicial Reforms to Tackle Case Backlog

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) emphasizes urgent reforms to handle the growing case backlog in India. They suggest using the National Judicial Data Grid for real-time rankings to incentivize faster case resolution. Recommendations include time-based metrics to improve judicial efficiency and drive policy interventions.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Sunday called for "urgent reforms" to address India's growing backlog of legal cases. To stimulate faster dispute resolution, the CII proposed utilizing the National Judicial Data Grid to generate real-time automated rankings of states based on their case-clearance rates.

With over 5 crore cases pending in various courts and disposal rates failing to keep pace with new admissions, CII stressed the importance of data-driven policy interventions. They recommended rankings initially consider case-clearance rates over a calendar year, spanning the past 5-10 years, to foster competitive judicial practices among states.

Launched under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, the NJDG tracks and manages judicial efficiency. CII believes real-time data could accelerate dispute resolution and enhance India's business environment. The organization also highlighted the need for improved data reporting and time-based metrics to address procedural delays efficiently.

(With inputs from agencies.)