National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India

Published on 20 Jan 2025

National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India

The Chief Justice of India had proposed the establishment of the National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI) to tackle the infrastructure deficit associated with the Indian judiciary. NJIAI would function as a central agency with each state having their own State Judicial Infrastructure Authority. 

The proposed NJAC would be under the Supreme Court of India. The body is expected to have a few members representing the judiciary and a few members representing the central government to ensure sufficient funds are allocated for judicial infrastructure and the fund is channelled efficiently.

Need to have the National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India 

• Address infrastructure deficit: The Indian judiciary lacks sufficient infrastructure, especially at the subordinate level, which inhibits faster and more efficient disposal of cases.

• Example: 27% of courts have no separate toilet for women while only 41% of court complexes have electronic video linkage facilities.

• Manage the funds: The allocation made for judicial infrastructure has not been well managed in India due to a lack of oversight.

• Example: In 2020, around 90% of the fund allocated towards judicial infrastructure has been left unused.

• Manage the increase in cases: The volume of litigations accumulating in the judiciary has been increasing and hence the infrastructure must be developed to meet this demand.

• Example: More than 5 crore cases are pending in India with 85% of these cases at the subordinate level.

• Greater autonomy: A dedicated authority having autonomy to look into judicial infrastructure can bring a planned approach towards the use of funds.

• Bring more responsibility: There have been allegations of the state diverting funds for non-judicial purposes. Such a body would ensure proper channelling of the allocated funds.

Hence an institutional mechanism to address the infrastructure deficit in the judicial machinery can bring vision-oriented planning which could streamline the funds in an efficient manner. The institution should bring better coordination between the executive and judiciary and guidelines must be issued for ensuring the impartial functioning of the body.

Tags:
Polity

Keywords:
Indian Judiciary Judicial infrastructure NJIAI

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 2

Topics:
Functions of Judiciary