National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms

The setting up of the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was approved in June 2011.

· The National mission would help in implementing the two major goals of increasing access by reducing delays and arrears in the system and enhancing accountability at all levels through structural changes and setting performance standards and facilitating enhancement of capacities for achieving such performance standards

· A mission mode approach is proposed to improve the infrastructure of Subordinate Courts under National Mission for Delivery of Justice and Legal Reforms

· The National Mission would comprise of Advisory Council, Governing Council, National Mission Leader and the Mission Directorate.

· The Advisory council will advise on the goals, objectives and strategies of the National Mission and the Action Plan and its implementation and performance of the Mission in meeting its objectives and would be chaired by the Minister for Law and Justice and would have membership from Parliament, State Governments, Jurists & senior officers of Government of India.

· The Governing Council would facilitate implementation, give policy directions and oversee the work of the Mission and would be headed by the Minister for Law and Justice.

· The Secretary, Department of Justice would be the National Mission Leader.

· A Mission Directorate would be constituted to implement and monitor the various initiative / programme of the National Mission. It would be headed by an officer of the rank of the Joint Secretary who would act as the Mission Director.

· A tentative Action Plan has been drawn up which would of course be subjected to change once the Advisory Council meets to set out the agenda. The tentative Action Plan covers:-

(i) Policy and Legislative changes such as All India Judicial Service, Litigation Policy, Judicial Impact Assessment, Judicial Accountability Bill, Amendment in N.I. Act and Arbitration & Conciliation Act, Legal Education Reforms and Retirement age of HC Judges.

(ii) Re-engineering procedures and alternate methods of Dispute Resolution such as identification of bottlenecks, procedural changes in court processes, statutory amendments to reduce and disincentivize delays, Fast tracking of procedures, appointment of court managers and Alternate Dispute Resolution.

(iii) Focus on Human Resource Development such as filling up of vacancy positions in all courts of judges and court staff, strengthening State Judicial Academies, Training of Public Prosecutors and ICT enablement of public prosecutors offices, strengthening National Judicial Academy and Training of mediators.

(iv) Leveraging ICT for better justice delivery such as implementation of Ecourts project, integration of ICT in the judiciary and use in criminal justice delivery and creation of National Arrears Grid.

(v) Improving Infrastructure such as improving physical infrastructure of the District and subordinate courts and creation of special / additional courts like Morning / Evening Courts, Family Courts and Gram Nyayalayas.

· Infrastructure development for the subordinate judiciary is the major thrust area of the National Mission.

· An Advisory Council and a Governing Council has been constituted as part of the National Mission. The Mission Directorate of the National Mission is being set up. The post of the Joint Secretary has been created.

· The first meeting of the Advisory Council of the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was held on 18.10.2011 to decide on the Goals, Objectives, Strategies and the Tentative Action Plan of the National Mission.

· The decisions taken in the meeting of the Advisory Council:-

- The Action Plan timelines will be redrawn.

- A proposal on data collection of National Arrears Grid within a timeline will be prepared.

- Some high impact areas under the Pendency Reduction Campaign can be identified for focused attention.

- Three specific areas to be looked into (i) Legal Education; (ii) Procedures in court and improving court processes meeting criminal justice system; and (iii) Software assessment under e-courts project for improving citizen centric services.

source : www.pib.nic.in