Budgeting Better for Courts - An Evaluation of the Rs. 7460 Crores Released Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Judicial Infrastructure
Chitrakshi Jain
Shreya Tripathy
Tarika Jain
The District Judiciary in India plays a crucial role in the administration of justice as it is often the first point of contact between citizens and the justice system. One of the reasons identified by the judiciary for the delays at the level of District Judiciary is the shortage of judges. One of the reasons for the judiciary not being able to fill its vacancies is the lack of courtrooms and residences to house new judges. Contrary to the usual narrative of under-funding for judicial infrastructure, the fact of the matter is that the Centre under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for the Judiciary (‘Scheme’) would have released Rs 7460.24 crores between 1993 and 2020, primarily for the District Judiciary. Despite this significant release, the District Judiciary has only 17,817 courtrooms available for itself against a sanctioned strength of 22,750 judges.
In this context, this report provides an evaluation of the Scheme which covers the construction of courtrooms and residential units for the District Judiciary. The Scheme is funded jointly by the Central and State Government, with the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice being the nodal Ministry. The report identifies the issues related to design and practice at the Central level. Additionally, it also looks at the challenges faced by the State Governments in implementing the Scheme.
FILED UNDER
Accountability
Judicial Budgeting
Transparency
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Chitrakshi Jain
Chitrakshi Jain was a Research Fellow with the Judicial Reforms vertical. As a member of the vertical, she worked on issues such as judicial planning, transparency in the judiciary and the way the office of prosecution works in the criminal justice system in India. A 2014 graduate of NALSAR, Hyderabad she was working as a research associate for the Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad prior to joining Vidhi. Interested in pursuing research that lies at the intersection of law and social sciences, she completed her Masters in Politics from the University of Delhi.
Shreya Tripathy
Since 2018, I have worked in JALDI on topics such as judicial diversity, infrastructure and efficient budgeting for the judiciary. I have also undertaken several data-driven projects intending to understand the systemic problems of the judiciary at all levels and provide targeted solutions. I have publications in the Economic and Political Weekly and other law & policy review journals. I have also published in the Outlook and platforms such as Hindustan Times and The Print. My areas of interest include Human Rights & Judicial Reforms. I graduated with B.B.A.LL.B. from National Law University, Odisha in 2018. Before joining Vidhi, I interned in organizations like Nyaaya, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre and Partners for Law in Development. My dream for the Indian judiciary is that it becomes more inclusive and accessible for all. The general narrative when it comes to accessibility and the judiciary tends to shift towards litigants who may be Persons with Disabilities. It is high time that the judiciary starts changing this narrative and starts considering accessibility for all and at all levels including judicial officers and staff. I am an enthusiastic collector of cookbooks and love trying out recipes from around the world.
Tarika Jain
Tarika was a Senior Resident Fellow with the Health Team at Vidhi. She has also previously worked with the JALDI initiative and the Climate & Ecosystems Team, where she researched on efficiency, accountability and transparency in the judiciary with an empirical lens. She has written for leading journals and newspapers like Economic and Political Weekly, the Economic Times and the Indian Express. Tarika graduated from Gujarat National Law University with B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) in 2017 and has completed her postgraduate studies in Public Policy from University College London in 2021. She enjoys anime and rock music.