Report
Systemic assessment should precede criminal law reforms
Report content
This opinion was published in the Deccan Herald on October 19, 2023.
Authors
Deepika Kinhal
Former Team Lead, JALDI
Deepika Kinhal was the Team Lead of JALDI. Since 2017, she authored several data-driven research reports seeking to understand the systemic issues that plague India’s justice delivery systems. She has been a part of expert committees constituted by the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India and NITI Aayog to improve justice delivery through technology, and has led engagements with multiple High Courts to study and improve their case and court management systems. She also appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Mediation Bill and Judicial Impact Assessment. At JALDI, she was focused on translating our research findings into tangible solutions and enabling evidence-based reforms in the judiciary. In this, she collaborated with experts from various domains and worked with similar minded organizations across the board. Her dream as an Indian citizen and a judicial reforms enthusiast is to have a modern, responsive judiciary that delivers quality, effective justice in a manner that befits the aspirational 21st century Indian. She graduated from NLSIU, Bengaluru in 2012. Before joining Vidhi, she practiced as a civil-commercial lawyer in Karnataka with Dua Associates, and as a real-estate and capital markets lawyer at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
Priyamvadha Shivaji
Senior Resident Fellow
At JALDI, I have worked on engagements with the High Courts of Meghalaya and Delhi and government departments in Karnataka, and produced independent research on various aspects including re-imagined Civil Rules of Practice, a Court Design Handbook for improving court infrastructure in India, a proposal for introducing Differentiated Case Management for the Indian judiciary etc. My work focuses on process re-engineering and the need for ensuring user-friendly, accessible, and efficient courts. I graduated with a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in 2020 and obtained the BCL from the University of Oxford in 2021. I have previously provided research assistance on various other independent projects. My dream for the Indian judiciary is for the system to inspire trust and confidence in all stakeholders. This occurs when the judiciary is deeply committed to accessibility, transparency, efficiency, technology and a culture of continuous learning and adaptability to meet the evolving needs of a dynamic society. Ultimately, courts should become well-equipped and welcoming spaces to make the pursuit of justice a vibrant, participatory and meaningful exercise. I love reading, writing speculative fiction, quizzing and learning new languages.