Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has initiated a major drive, aiming to tackle pending cases in courts across the country, including discussing the possibility of evening courts. As part of this effort, the Supreme Court is set to host a conference on February 1.
With 82,445 cases pending before the Supreme Court alone and millions more in lower courts, the conference is expected to focus on practical solutions to streamline case disposal. Chief Justices of all High Courts, one senior judge from each High Court, and two senior judges from the district judiciary have been invited to contribute their insights.
The conference will include four sessions, each targeting key areas affecting judicial efficiency. The agenda has been developed under the guidance of Chief Justice Khanna, with inputs from senior Supreme Court judges Justice Bhushan R Gavai and Justice Surya Kant.
The first session, chaired by Chief Justice Khanna, will review the National Court Management System (NCMS) Committee’s 2024 action plan. The discussions will centre on identifying key issues that hinder case disposal, strategies to expedite the resolution of cases at different levels, the feasibility of introducing evening courts to handle additional caseloads and strengthening the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.
The second session, chaired by Justice BR Gavai, will focus on incorporating technology to enhance efficiency such as expanding the use of digital court software, e-filing systems, and virtual courts and strengthening video conferencing.
The third session, chaired by Justice Kant, will focus on human resources, timely and institutionalised recruitment of judicial officers and court staff and the establishment of a permanent IT and Data Cadre in High Courts and lower courts.
Chief Justice Khanna will chair an additional session on the professional development of lawyers, regular training programs and a uniform curriculum for judicial training across states.
Senior Supreme Court judges, including Justice Abhay S Oak, Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice Dipankar Dutta, Justice PS Narasimha, Justice KV Vishwanathan, Justice JK Maheshwari, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice MM Sundresh, and Justice Bela M Trivedi, will also be part of the discussions.
