Department of Justice

1. Department of Justice National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms Sectoral Innovation Council Meeting March 13, 2014

2. Goals of the National Mission • Increasing access to justice by reducing delays and arrears • Enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance standards and improving capacities

3. Five Strategic Initiatives • Policy and Legislative changes • Re-engineering Procedures & Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution • Focus on Human Resource Development • Leveraging ICT for better Justice Delivery • Development of Infrastructure facilities for the Subordinate Judiciary

4. Legislative Changes For structural reforms in judiciary following legislative proposals are before Parliament: • Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill • Judicial Appointments Commission Bill • Bill to raise the retirement age of High Court Judges

5. Policy and Legislative Changes to reduce pendency in areas prone to excessive litigation • Amendment in N.I. Act • Recommendation of the Inter-ministerial Group finalized • Introduction of ADR • Codification of Summary Procedure • Encouragement of payment through e-mode • Motor Vehicle Act • Administrative and Policy recourse for payment of challans without taking recourse to litigation • Alternative mechanism of victim compensation in motor accident claims • Electricity Act • Settlement of Disputes at pre-litigation stage in LokAdalats

6. Policy Initiatives State Litigation Policy • Litigation Policy - Notified by all States • Transform Government into efficient and responsible litigant • Setup Empowered Committee to weed out ineffective and infructuous cases • Identification of litigation prone areas for taking appropriate measures to resolve issues. • Citizen Charter – time bound delivery of public services • Robust Grievance Redressal mechanism • Arbitration clause in Government contracts

7. Re-engineering of Court Process Court Management System (NCMS) Constituted by the Supreme Court in consultation with DOJ in May 2012 • Sub-Committees to streamline the Court Processes and Case Rules, Court Development Plan, National Framework for Court Excellence, Human Resource Development Strategy. • Reports of the sub-committees under consideration of the Supreme Court.

8. Re-engineering of Court Process: Process Service • CPC was amended to provide service through additional modes i.e. speed post/fax/courier/e-mail/SMS- emphasis on implementation • High Court Rules being amended • Framing of standardised processes for effective delivery of summons • Registration of e-mail addresses and mobile phones for process service • Recommendation made for improving process service • Integration of Aadhar cards or electoral cards with a database to be used for process service. • Hand-held devices or mobile phones with GPS can be used to tag the delivery location for making service of summons more effective and transparent.

9. Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution • Review of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act by Law Commission of India • ADR Centres/LokAdalats • 600 ADR Centres sanctioned under TFC grant • 223 ADR Centres have been established • 7,45,768 cases have been disposed of in ADR centres

10. Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution (Contd.) National Mega LokAdalats • First Mega LokAdalat involving cases from Supreme Court to Taluka Level Courts was held on November 23, 2013. • 71,78,178 cases have been disposed of by the Mega LokAdalat - (including 20,92,650 Pre-litigation cases). • Next National Mega LokAdalat has been notified to be held on April 12th, 2014.

11. Focus on Human Resource Development • 18000 posts of Judicial Officers / Judges in District & Subordinate Courts • 1800 additional posts of Judicial Officers being created • In principle decision taken to increase the judge strength by 25% in High Courts • 1549 vacancies in Subordinate Courts filled up under Pendency Reduction Drive • Capacity building of State Judicial Academies through action research on judicial reform

12. Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Subordinate Judiciary • Centrally Sponsored Scheme • Amount released to the State Governments: • 2011-12: Rs. 595 Cr • 2012-13: Rs. 708 Cr • 2013-14(Till date): Rs. 851 Cr • Total Central expenditure on the scheme Rs. 3400 crore • Court Complexes Constructed/Upgraded- over 500 • Residential Buildings Constructed- over 300

13. Leveraging ICT for Better Justice Delivery • eCourts Mission Mode Project • 13,277 courts have been computerised by 31st January, 2014. • Online Services available to citizens, lawyers, litigants: • Cause list, Case Status, Orders/ Judgments • Video Conference Pilot Project underway • National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) • Objectives • Judicial Management Monitoring; Online Backup of Case Status and to Provide Case Status access to stakeholders

14. Model Courts • The concept of Model Court being developed on the following five principles: • Citizen Friendly services and lay-out • Efficiency in terms of time and cost • Delivery of fair, just and high quality judgements • Reasonable certainty of commencement and conclusion of proceedings • Efficient Mechanism for prompt and responsive redressal of citizens grievances

15. Important Issues under Consideration/Implementation of the National Mission • Audio-Video Recording of Court Proceedings • Review of Legal Framework for Promoting ADR • Court Development Plan • Legal Education Reforms • Bar Reforms • Emphasis on Training for Expeditious Disposal of Cases

16. Thank You