Abstract
This chapter follows the development of Indian civil procedural law, legal institutions, and other legislative and constitutional provisions which affect the administration of justice. We trace their evolution from colonial rule to the law as it currently stands. Central to this analysis is whether Indian law enacted by the British was a transplant of common law, and whether this position has been changed in any way after Indian attained her independence. We also point out instances where legislative intent, often for laws enacted by Parliament post 1947, varies to a great extent from the law applied by the judiciary. We will follow the outline created by the University of Louvain, to help determine factors which most affect access to justice across jurisdictions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Badami N (2012) Shifting sands and pyrrhic victories: the case of India. In: Reimann M (ed) Cost and fee allocation in civil procedure. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 171–176
Bannerjee TK (2008) Herbert Cowell’s history and constitution of the courts and legislative authorities in India: Tagore law lectures (1870). R Cambray & Co. Pvt Ltd., Kolkata
Bar Council of India (2010) Letter to young graduates and law students. http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lettertolawstudents.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Bar Council of India (2013a) History of the legal profession. http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/about-the-legal-profession/history-of-the-legal-profession/. Accessed 5 June 2013
Bar Council of India (2013b) Vision statement. http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/about-the-bar-council-of-india/vision-statement-2011-13/. Accessed 14 May 2013
Bar Council of India Rules Part IV on Legal Education (2008) Rule 25 Schedule 3. www.barcouncilofindia.org/wp-content/uploads/…/BCIRulesPartIV.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Bar Council of Maharashtra v. M V Dhabolkar & Ors. (1976) All India Reporter, Supreme Court, p 242
Bharat Aluminum Company Limited (“BALCO”) v. Kaiser Aluminum Technical Service, Inc. (“Kaiser”) (2012) Supreme Court Cases 9:552
Bombay Bar Association (2013) Court associations. http://www.bombaybar.com/bar_association/court_associations.php. Accessed 14 May 2013
Census of India (2011) Figures at a glance. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/hlo/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/India/5Figures_at_glance.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Committee report on legal education (2009) http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/3-member-Committee-Report-on-Legal-Education.pdf. Accessed 5 June 2013
Constitution assembly debates (1989) Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi, vol VIII
Corbett J (1952) Pre-red-tape days. In: My India. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs (2013) Statement showing the approved strength, working strength, and vacancies in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts. http://doj.gov.in/?q=node/90. Accessed 14 May 2013
Galanter M (1981) Justice in many rooms, courts, private ordering and indigenous law. J Legal Pluralism 19:1
Ganz K (2012) Supreme Court’s Battle against backlog in cases. LiveMint, June 07, 2012. http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ziffwni3N64eFBcaWZobtL/Supreme-Court8217s-battle-against-backlog-in-cases.html. Accessed 6 July 2013
Ganz K (2013) RTI Reveals Number of Lawyers in India, February 18, 2013. http://www.legallyindia.com/201302183448/Bar-Bench-Litigation/rti-reveals-number-of-lawyers-india. Accessed 14 May 2013
Ghatak M, Ghatak M (2002) Recent reforms in the panchayat system in West Bengal: toward greater participatory governance? Econ Pol Wkly 37(1):45
Goscinny R, Uderzo A (2007) Asterix and the laurel wreath. Orion, London
Hatti P, Badami N (2012) The enforceability of put and call options in the current regulatory environment. http://www.siac.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=406:enforceability-of-put-and-call-options-in-india-in-the-current-regulatory-environment&catid=56:articles&Itemid=171. Accessed 10 Apr 2013
Indian Express (2011) Delhi government clears three-fold hike in salaries for judges, February 13. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/delhi-govt-clears-threefold-hike-in-salaries-for-judges/749342. Accessed 14 May 2013
Jain MP (2012 reprint) Outlines of Indian legal and constitutional history. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa, New Delhi
Judicial Impact Assessment Report (2008) http://lawmin.nic.in/doj/justice/judicialimpactassess mentreportvol1.pdf and http://lawmin.nic.in/doj/justice/judicialimpactassessmentreportvol2.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Kedarlal Seal v. Harilal Seal (1952) All India Reporter, Supreme Court 47
Keith AB (1990) A constitutional history of India. Low Price Publications, Delhi
Khan SA (2006) Lok adalat: an effective alternative dispute resolution mechanism. APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi
Konkan Railway Corpn. Ltd. v. M/S. Mehul Construction Co (2000) All India Reporter, Supreme Court 2821
M. Mahalingam v. Shashikala (2008) Indian Law Reports, Karnataka
Nariman FS (2010) India and international arbitration. George Washington J Int Law 41:367–379
Pal M (2004) Panchayati raj and rural governance: experiences of a decade. Econ Pol Wkly 39(2):137
Press Information Bureau of India, 3rd September (2012). http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=87282. Accessed 6 June 2013
PRS Legislative Research (2009) The commercial division of high courts bill. http://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/the-commercial-division-of-high-courts-bill-2009-977/. Accessed 10 Apr 2013
PRS Legislative Research (2011) Vital stats pendency of cases in Indian courts. http://www.prsindia.org/administrator/uploads/general/1310014291~~Vital%20Stats%20-%20Pendency%20of%20Cases%20in%20Indian%20Courts%2004Jul11%20v5%20-%20Revised.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
R N Jadi and Brothers v. Subhashchandra (2007) All India Reporter, Supreme Court 2571
Rama Jois M (2010 reprint) Ancient Indian law – eternal values of Manu smriti. Universal Law Publishing, Delhi
Ramnath K (2013) The colonial difference between law and fact: notes on the criminal jury in India. Indian Econ Soc Hist Rev 50:341
Rani Kusum v. Kanchan Devi (2005) All India Reporter, Supreme Court 330
Robinson N (2013) Failed by the lawyer. The Hindu, June 06, 2013. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/failed-by-the-lawyer/article4886862.ece. Accessed on 15 July 2013
Salem Advocates Bar Association (II) v. Union of India (2005) Supreme Court Cases 6:344
SBP v. Patel Engineering (2005) Supreme Court Cases 8:618
Schmiegelow H, Schmiegelow M (2012) Rules and structures of civil procedures affecting access to justice as cost and time factors. Questionnaire in the form of draft tables for the Symposium on “Legal Origins and Access to Justice in Developing and Transforming Countries” at the Université catholique de Louvain on February 16–17, 2012, mimeo (Louvain Questionnaire)
Secretary to Government of Madras v. P. R. Sriramulu (1996) Supreme Court Cases 1:345
Srimathi v. Union of India (1996) All India Reporter, Madras 427
Srinivas MN (1976) The remembered village. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Strick A (1977) Injustice for all – how our adversary system victimises us and subverts justice. Penguin, New York
Supreme court handbook (2010) http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in/handbook3rdedition.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013, pp 53–57
Supreme court news (2012) April–June (vol VII, issue 2). http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in/courtnews/2012_issue_2.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Supreme court of India (2011) History. http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in/history.htm. Accessed on 14 May 2013
Supreme court of India (2011) Hon’ble The Chief Justice of India & Hon’ble Judge. http://www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in/judges/judges.htm. Accessed on 14 May 2013
The Hindu (2010) Pay scales of State judicial officers revised, May 03. http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/03/stories/2010050359550300.htm. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (1958) Report No. 14 on the Reform of Judicial Administration. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/1-50/Report14Vol1.pdf, and http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/1-50/Report14Vol2.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (1964) Report No. 27 on the Code of civil procedure, 1908. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/1-50/Report27.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (1987) Report No. 120 on Manpower in the judiciary: a blueprint. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/101-169/Report120.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (1988a) Report No. 128, on the Costs of litigation in India. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/101-169/Report128.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (1988b) Report No. 131, “Role of legal profession in administration of justice”. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/101-169/Report131.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (2009a) Report No. 220 on Need to fix maximum chargeable court-fees in subordinate civil courts. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/report220.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (2009b) Report No. 222 on the Need for justice dispensation through ADR, etc. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/report222.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (2009c) Report No. 229 on the Need for division of the supreme court into a constitution bench at Delhi and cassation benches in four regions at Delhi, Chennai/Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/report221.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
The Law Commission of India (2012) Report No. 240 on Costs in civil litigation. http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/report240.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2013
Venkatesan J (2012) In action-packed 2011, Supreme Court cleared over 79,000 cases. The Hindu, January 1, 2012. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/in-actionpacked-2011-supreme-court-cleared-over-79000-cases/article2764197.ece. Accessed 14 May 2013
Venkatesan J (2013) 3 new High Courts for NE. The Hindu, January 26, 2013. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/3-new-high-courts-for-ne/article4345372.ece. Accessed 14 May 2013
Vogler R (2001) The international development of the jury: the role of the British empire. Rev Int Droit Pénal 72:525–550
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Badami, N., Chandu, M. (2014). Access to Justice in India. In: Schmiegelow, M., Schmiegelow, H. (eds) Institutional Competition between Common Law and Civil Law. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54660-0_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54660-0_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-54659-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-54660-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawLaw and Criminology (R0)