A Travesty of Justice

The limited capacity of Indian state to deliver justice has been a major handicap that has now persisted for many decades. This lacunae in the justice delivery systems have taken a heavy toll on the poor and marginalised segments of society, who are unable to secure the protection of the laws, and remain stuck at the receiving end. The consequence has been an unchecked growth of violence and trampling of human rights, growing incidence of social and sexual harassment, and emergence of vigilante groups and kangaroo courts.

This limited ability to deliver justice also undermines the economy and cause irreparable damages by restraining productive activities, encouraging corruption, derailing inclusive growth, and diverting scarce resources into illegal and unproductive activities. One major reason for the limited capacity to deliver justice is that the institutions to ensure legal accountability are too weak and have scanty resources to dispense timely justice.