FIRST THINGS FIRST: Fill vacancies in lower courts

Our judicial system functions as though humans are immortal. Though there are enough sanctioned positions for the post of magistrates and judges, these positions are kept vacant. From 2006 to 2017, the average vacancy has been 21%. In the Supreme Court it is 11%, high courts 32% and lower courts 21%. In the lower courts, there are over 4,500 vacant positions, as per 2017 figures. 

If vacancies are filled, the backlog will disappear and the system will be able to deliver justice in a reasonable time period. Since the bulk of cases land in the lower courts, and fewer go to high courts while even fewer to the Supreme Court, it is essential to fill the vacancies at lower courts first, to speed up justice delivery.

Shailesh Gandhi, former chief information commissioner