Justice Delays in India’s Courts: A Black Coat Syndrome

• Over 5 crore cases pending in Supreme Court, 63.3 lakh in High Courts, and 4.6 crore in district and subordinate courts.

• Structural bottlenecks, procedural delays, and systemic constraints hinder the judicial process.

• Factors contributing to delays include inadequate infrastructure, complex case facts, evidence nature, and stakeholder cooperation.

• Delays worsen due to lack of mandated timelines, frequent adjournments, and weak case monitoring mechanisms.

• District level civil litigation handles the bulk of pending cases, with only 38.7% resolved within a year.

• Judiciary functions at 79% capacity, with 5,665 vacant posts out of 26,927 sanctioned posts.

• Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms like mediation, arbitration, and Lok Adalats offer flexible alternatives.