In an interview with host Manisha Pande, authors Chitrakshi Jain and Prashant Reddy T talk about their book Tareek Pe Justice, in which they argue for an urgent need to reform India's district courts – “the first point of contact for a majority of the litigants in the country”. 

Contrary to the widely held belief that delay in district courts is a result of resource scarcity, the authors argue that the true issue is a punitive and opaque system of judicial management. “District court judges are subject to the same set of disciplinary rules as the bureaucrats in the state government,” said Prashant Reddy T, highlighting how judicial discretion is regularly undermined by arbitrary disciplinary action.

Jain elaborated that “the rules... framed for taking disciplinary action against judges are... compromising their ability to take decisions independently.” Judges have been dismissed or disciplined for routine bail orders or supposed errors in judgment – even when those judgments were upheld on appeal. 

This culture of fear discourages judges from making bold or independent decisions. “They don't grant bail, they adjourn matters... waiting out the controversy,” said Kumar. Compounding this is the notorious “unit system,” a quantitative metric that pushes judges to prioritise easy cases over complex ones to meet performance targets.

Gender and caste-based biases are also rife. Jain recounted cases of women judges being dismissed during probation periods, often linked to extended maternity leaves, while “casteism and misogyny” further exacerbate systemic discrimination.

The authors proposed reforms including independent state-level commissions for oversight, more transparency, and even a revival of jury trials. “You're creating a civic culture... allowing lay people to enter a courtroom in a decision-making capacity,” said Jain.

Watch.