This refers to the editorial, “The pendency problem” (April 26). While addressing a conference of the Chief Justices and Chief Ministers of various States in 2009, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lamented the scourge of the world’s largest backlog of cases India had to suffer, despite its strengths, brilliance and dynamism. He expressed his concern at the plight of large number of undertrials, languishing in prisons for periods longer than they would have served had they been sentenced. The malady, then, was attributed to the “chronic shortage of judicial officers” and it was proposed that all vacant judicial posts be filled up expeditiously with meritorious individuals.
It is unfortunate that little seems to have been achieved since then. And now, Chief Justice TS Thakur too has made a poignant appeal to the executive to infuse manpower and financial resources into the judicial system. It is time the pillars of democracy collaborated on finding practical solutions through systemic interventions for efficient justice delivery.