INDIA'S OVERLOADED JUDICIAL SYSTEM: CAN MAHARASHTRA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MUMBAI 000431 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO GTIP AND DRL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM IN KDEM PGOV KLIG SUBJECT: INDIA'S OVERLOADED JUDICIAL SYSTEM: CAN MAHARASHTRA IMPLEMENT REFORMS? REF: A. MUMBAI 316 ¶B. MUMBAI 169 MUMBAI 00000431 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. Summary. The state of Maharashtra has the biggest backlog of criminal cases in India, with over one million cases winding through the courts. Like other Indian states, Maharashtra's judiciary suffers from a lack of resources, a shortage of judges, and only the most basic case management systems. Moreover, with bail amounts determined by legislation, many accused are not able to afford bail, resulting in overcrowded jails. Since most cases take a decade or more to come to conclusion, many of these prisoners can spend more time in jail waiting for their trials than their sentence, if convicted, would require. Recently, the Indian Prime Minister and the country's Supreme Court Chief Justice have declared a "war" on the case backlog. Maharashtra has introduced some innovations such as fast track courts, specialized courts to build expertise, and improving court docket procedures. However, legal experts and judges remain skeptical that these methods will work in the absence of more judges and more efficient court procedures. End Summary. PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR "WAR" ON JUDICIAL PROBLEMS ¶2. (U) Speaking at a joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of the Supreme and High Courts on August 16, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a "war" on the country's judicial backlog, currently at over 30 million pending court cases. The PM acknowledged that many "under-trials" -- those who have been arrested but have not been granted, or cannot afford, bail and must wait out their trial in jail -- have been incarcerated longer than the maximum sentences for their crimes, had they been convicted. The Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, called the conference "to devise ways and means to expedite disposal of cases and to stream-line and improve the justice delivery system." Though the growing backlog has received much attention in the past few years, the situation has only worsened: in 2008, Balakrishnan reported that 48,000 cases were pending in the Supreme Court and 3.8 million cases were pending in High Courts throughout the country; in 2009 the Supreme Court backlog grew to more than 52,000 cases, with 4 million cases pending at the High Court level and 27 million cases pending in trial courts. (Note: In contrast to the U.S Supreme Court, the Indian Supreme Court cannot choose the cases it hears. End note.) ¶3. (U) According to a recent survey by India Today, Maharashtra has the largest backlog among all Indian states, with 1,255,881 cases pending, followed by the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. (Note: Maharashtra also has the second highest population, so other states may have proportionally higher backlogs. End Note.) The Times of India reported in June that pending cases at the magistrate level, where criminal trials are held, increased from 496,000 in 2007 to 607,000 cases in 2008. The backlog grew despite efficiency increases by the courts, which disposed of 80,000 more cases in 2008 than the year before, with no increase in judicial resources. Reportedly, approximately 27 percent of the cases are more than five years old. SEVERE SHORTAGE OF JUDGES PRIME FACTOR CAUSING DELAYS ¶4. (U) Experts agree that the extreme case backlog is primarily the result of a chronic shortage of judges, with both unfilled vacancies and a shortage of judgeships compounding the problem. In 2008, Balakrishnan noted that in addition to filling existing vacancies, India needs to create at least 5,000 more courts, and appoint 1,539 more High Court judges and 18,479 subordinate court judges to clear the backlog of cases. Although exact counts differ, India has a judge-to-population ratio of between 10.5 and 14 judges per million population. (Note: For comparison, the U.S. has 98 judges per million people, Brazil 77 per million, and Bangladesh 12 per million. End Note.) According to a Times of India report in January 2009, the High Courts (the first level of appeal) had only 635 of the approved 886 judicial seats filled, a vacancy rate of 27 percent. At the trial level, 3,129 out of 16,685 judicial seats were vacant (18.7 percent). MUMBAI 00000431 002.2 OF 004 ¶5. (SBU) Attorneys told Congenoff that low salaries are the biggest impediment to attracting more judges and filling national vacancies. In an effort to address the pay gap, a national panel established in 2008 to determine pay guidelines recommended a ten-fold increase in pay. However, the Parliament approved only a three-fold increase, raising the salary for high court judges from USD 536 per month to USD 1,650 per month and a and lower courts. (Note: Judges also receive housing and other benefits as part of their compensation package. End note.) Several attorneys told Congenoff that the salaries for judges are still so low that the courts cannot find qualified attorneys to fill the vacant seats -- an attorney in private practice can earn in one day what a judge now makes in a week, according to noted criminal attorney Majeed Memon. INDIA'S POOR HIT HARDEST BY BACKLOGS ¶6. (SBU) As in many other nations, the poorest have the most difficult time asserting their legal rights and ensuring speedy justice. Civil rights attorney Yogesh Kamdar and Memon both noted that the Indian law sets one amount for bail for specific crimes, unlike the U.S. system which gives courts discretion to set bail according to the financial means of the accused. Memon lamented that in India, "liberty has one price, regardless of who you are," with the result that the wealthy can easily afford bail but the destitute cannot. According to Memon, many attorneys and NGOs are fighting for reforms to allow the courts to evaluate the ability of the accused to pay bail when setting the amount. (Note: India does not have bail bondsmen as in the U.S. End Note.) Moreover, the salary for legal aid attorneys is so small -- approximately USD 20 for handling an entire case - that few attorneys provide legal aid services. Despite a right to an attorney in the Indian legal system, many defendants do not have one. Memon stressed that due to illiteracy and lack of education, the poor do not know their legal rights. Further, he noted, many families are so poor that they do not fight for freedom for incarcerated family members because they know that at least in jail the person will be fed. ¶7. (SBU) With most crimes, the accused is entitled to be released on bail pending the trial, but those who can't afford bail often languish in prison longer than their sentences. According to Vikas Kadam, a member of the Child Welfare Committee for Mumbai Suburbs and a social worker with the Tata Institute for Social Science who works with inmates awaiting trial, most of those charged with petty crimes cannot afford bail, so they languish in the jails awaiting trial. Memon told Congenoff that many who cannot afford a good attorney wait 12 to 15 years for their trials, even in cases where the crime is punishable by only seven to ten years imprisonment. For petty crimes, where the maximum penalty is only six months to a year, many spend three years or more awaiting trial, he said. A recent public interest litigation before the Mumbai High Court highlighted the case of an accused who had been in jail for 13 years awaiting trial for a crime with a maximum sentence of 10 years. The court ordered the government of Maharashtra to identify how many such defendants are in Maharashtra's jails, but the GOM has yet to respond. JAIL CONDITIONS INCENTIVE FOR GUILTY PLEAS ¶8. (SBU) The backlog in the courts has often led many innocent defendants to plead guilty to obtain their release from jail quicker, according to Kadam. He added that severe overcrowding in the jails and deplorable conditions also motivate the accused to plead guilty, in hopes of being sentenced to time already served, to escape the conditions of their confinement. Kadam noted that the Mumbai Central Jail is built for a capacity of 800 prisoners, but currently holds over 2500 inmates, 95 percent of whom are people awaiting trials, many for petty crimes. In June, the Comptroller and Auditor General's Report found jails in Mumbai and Thane were overcrowded from between 157 to 402 percent of authorized capacity and criticized the state for failing to utilize USD 26 million allocated for prison modernization over the past seven years. Chief Justice Balakrishnan, acknowledging that nearly 170,000 under-trials MUMBAI 00000431 003.2 OF 004 languish in jails across India for petty offences, announced recently that if the accused had served more than half the sentence likely to be awarded for their crime, they could be "immediately released on personal bond." To date, this new policy has not been implemented in Mumbai. MAHARASHTRA COURTS WORKING TO SOLVE BACKLOG -- JAILHOUSE HEARINGS DISPOSE OF CASES ¶9. (SBU) The courts in Maharashtra, as elsewhere in India, are trying various solutions to decrease the backlog in cases, from increasing the days or hours that a court is in session, to instituting specialized courts to address specific cases more expeditiously. Kadam reported that in Mumbai, trial court judges hold court in the jail for half a day two Saturdays a month for petty crime cases. Despite the best intentions, though, Kadam called the process a "miscarriage of justice" because many under-trials choose to plead guilty to charges to avoid lengthy waits for a trial date, regardless of their guilt or the state's evidence against them, then carry the stigma of being convicted criminals. SPECIALIZED COURTS CREATED TO EXPEDITE CASES ¶10. (SBU) One solution to the backlog recommended by the Judicial Conference is the institution of specialized courts to enable judges to develop expertise in specific matters to more expeditiously resolve those cases. Mumbai has had specialized Family Courts since 1989, and recently established a specialized trafficking court, where a single judge hears all trafficking cases from across Mumbai, increasing the likelihood of retaining repeat-offenders behind bars and decreasing the overall load on the courts (See Ref A). Additional specialized courts are being considered, but as yet have not been established, such as a specialized court to handle the burgeoning load of fraudulent check cases. ¶11. (U) In addition, "fast track courts" have been initiated to expedite the resolution of certain high profile cases. The most notable fast track court case is that of accused November 2008 terrorist Ajmal Kasab which commenced on April 20, 2009, after a short delay caused by difficulties in finding him defense counsel (see ref B). The 2003 Mumbai bomb blasts cases were also fast tracked and obtained convictions earlier this year -- a quick conviction compared to the 1993 serial bombing cases that took 14 years to conclude. In May, the Supreme Court directed that fast track trials be instituted in the investigation and prosecution of eight cases arising out of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The National Commission for Women (NCW) and Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare have called for fast track trials in rape cases. ¶12. (SBU) The Judicial Conference views the establishment of specialized courts as one solution to the backlog. Bombay High Court Justice Roshan Dalvi, however, expressed skepticism that these courts would solve the underlying problems. She told Congenoff that while the creation of the courts can be useful, these courts are not enough to overcome the sheer volume of casework facing the courts if no new judges are added. Dalvi, who served on a Family Court Bench, said that even with a full complement of seven judges and 14 marriage counselors on staff, the court still faces a docket of 8000 cases. (Note: Judge Dalvi is exploring ways to facilitate the speedy resolution of cases and asked Congenoff about training offered by the U.S. on court management systems. End Note.) UNION LAW MINISTER PUSHES LEGAL REFORMS ¶13. (U) With the media decrying the huge backlog in the nation's courts, the Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily weighed in on September 23, with multiple proposals to diminish the MUMBAI 00000431 004.2 OF 004 backlog. First, the Law Minister promised 5,000 new courts across the country, working in three shifts, to make 15,000 additional courts available to try cases. The proposal aims to reduce the average life of cases from 15 years to one year in just three years time. Second, the proposal includes an unspecified "case management plan" with laptop computers for judges in addition to manpower increases. Third, Moily proposed changes in court procedures that would allow video depositions of out-of-town witnesses. A fourth component of the plan is to encourage government officials to exercise their own judgment rather than frequently turning to the court for guidance. (Note: U.S. Courts do not provide preliminary guidance. End Note.) And fifth, Moily's proposal includes "gram nyayalayas" (village courts) which were first proposed in legislation introduced in 2007, and were scheduled be initiated by October 2009, but are not likely to be operationalized for several years. (Note: The gram nyayalays are envisioned to become rural village tribunals with jurisdiction over criminal cases with sentences punishable by one year or less, or with a fine. They will also hear certain land and water disputes. The judge in such tribunals must have a law degree. While providing a more convenient forum for rural litigants, the law creating the local forum prohibits appeals beyond the sessions court level, limiting access to full legal redress. End note.) OBSERVERS ARE SKEPTICAL REFORM WILL HAPPEN SOON ¶14. (SBU) The Chief Justices at the Judicial Conference called for amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure that judges conduct trials within a certain timeline by preventing unwarranted adjournments and unnecessary delays. Judge Dalvi, however, did not expect meaningful change from the Judicial Conference. She remarked that the Judicial Conference is not a forum under which any massive change in the judiciary can be accomplished. What the system needs, she said, is a strong minister or strong Chief Justice who will implement changes to make the courts more efficient. COMMENT -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Comment: The present poor state of India's judicial system significantly contributes to the nation's slow progress in effectively prosecuting and convicting people for crimes ranging from theft and fraud to human rights violations and human trafficking. Moreover, a series of recent high-profile cases of corruption in the state and central judiciary has begun to undermine overall confidence in the judiciary, leaving some observers to bemoan the decline of yet another public institution. The high public acceptance of extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals by the police as a way to avoid expensive - and, in their minds, unnecessary - trials, is a symptom of the declining faith in the legal system. However, the county's rising caseload indicates that Indians do, as a whole, depend on their judicial system to resolve many of the important legal and political issues of the day, and have enough faith in the system to continue to turn to it when issues arise. Nevertheless, the extreme delays in securing justice make it difficult to conclude trafficking cases, for instance, where witnesses and victims leave the jurisdiction of the courts as their lives move on. The improvement of India's judicial system would thus have profound implications for human rights, justice, and the rule of law in the country. Law Minister Moily's proposed judicial reforms seek to improve the system, but unless these proposals are backed with adequate funding and sound implementation, they will have difficulty taking root and effecting real change in the enforcement of the rule of law in India. End Comment. FOLMSBEE