BRIDGING THE CHASM: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON OVERBURDENING AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEFICIENCIES IN THE INDIAN JUDICIARY

AUTHOR – DEEPANSHU, 1ST YEAR LAW STUDENT AT NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY (NLIU), BHOPAL.

BEST CITATION – DEEPANSHU,BRIDGING THE CHASM: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON OVERBURDENING AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEFICIENCIES IN THE INDIAN JUDICIARY, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (7) OF 2026, PG. 227-236, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

The Indian judiciary, while constitutionally fortified as the guardian of justice and the rule of law, grapples with a chronic crisis of overburdening and infrastructural inadequacies. Despite repeated policy interventions and judicial reforms, the system continues to suffer from staggering case pendency, a grossly inadequate judge-to-population ratio, and lagging infrastructural development, both physical and digital. This research undertakes a comprehensive empirical examination of these systemic challenges through four core dimensions: human resource deficit, infrastructural gaps, procedural bottlenecks, and socio-legal repercussions. Using data from the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Law Commission of India, the National Judicial Data Grid, and contemporary judicial committee reports, the paper analyses the causes, patterns, and impacts of judicial overloading. It further proposes context-specific reforms, drawing comparative insights from global best practices, particularly those of Denmark, the UK, and the USA. The study concludes that resolving India’s judicial crisis demands a calibrated approach integrating institutional innovation, administrative professionalism, and technological transformation within the justice delivery mechanism.

Keywords – Indian Legal System, Overburdening of judiciary, Rule of Law, e-Courts, Case clearance rate, Infrastructure deficit, Judge-to-Population Ratio, Judicial Impact Assessment (JIA), Undertrial Crisis.