Understanding India: Episode 12

Judicial Reform in India with Alok Prasanna

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In this episode, Avanti Bhati welcomes Alok Prasanna Kumar, Co-Founder, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, back to the podcast. After a wide-ranging first conversation on federalism, constitutional design, and India’s institutional resilience, Alok returns to discuss another critical issue: judicial reform.

As of September 2025, India faces more than five crore pending cases, including nearly 88,000 in the Supreme Court and 4.7 crore in subordinate courts, where delays too often mean justice denied.

Key questions explored:

·      What systemic reforms could meaningfully reduce pendency and deliver timely justice?

·      With only 15–21 judges per million (vs. ~50 recommended) and 5,600+ vacancies, can process reforms succeed without expanding judicial capacity?

·      How can India redesign judicial appointments to be transparent, accountable, and still independent of executive control?

·      Why is the enforcement of judgments so slow, and what mechanisms could ensure timely compliance?

·      Can India safeguard judicial impartiality in the face of frequent alignment with the executive?

Returning with his trademark clarity, Alok offers pragmatic pathways to move from creaking institutions to credible justice, making this a must-listen episode!

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of Osborne Partners. Osborne Partners bares no liability or responsibility to any contents, statements, claims or representations made in this episode.
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