India is a vast democracy with a praise-worthy constitution that preaches the ideals of Liberty, Equality and Justice. In the country where the Constitution promises justice as a fundamental right, the reality leaves a stale taste, millions wait not for justice, but for movement. The Indian criminal justice system, once envisioned as a pillar of fairness and accountability, now groans under the weight of massive suit pendency, delayed trials, overcrowded prisons, under-trial prisoners, understaffed courts, painfully slow judiciary and a systemic delays. The Nirbhaya case stands as a tragic embodiment of justice delayed that devastated the whole country. Despite the brutality of the crime and the clarity of evidence, it took over seven years from the incident in December 2012 to the eventual execution of the convicts in March 2020. Each legal safeguard, review petitions, mercy appeals was used not to uphold justice, but to prolong it. What should have been a swift reckoning became a slow erosion of public faith in the system.
If justice for Nirbhaya, a case that moved the entire nation, could be stretched across a decade, what hope remains for the overlooked and silenced? And it’s not only the rape cases which take a large time for judgments but also the cases with religious prospects even have taken a great time. The renowned example for this statement is the verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case as the court took 28 years to announce the final verdict. The delay in justice is not isolated, it’s endemic. The horrying part isn’t the crime itself, it’s how long it takes for justice to move, how the wheels of legal system grind painfully slow, leaving wounds open and faith shattered. The saying ‘Families age while verdicts sleep’ comes to mind.
Justice delayed is justice denied, a phrase we’ve heard so often has started to lose its sting. But for the emotional toll of delayed justice on victims trapped in the endless purgatory of courtrooms, this delay isn’t poetic, it’s personal. It is the mother waiting years to see her daughter’s rapist punished, the family watching the man who murdered their son roam freely on bail, the victims that spend years in a limbo. It’s fear, frustration, and the silent decay of trust in a system believed to protect. In the dim corridors of Indian courts, time ticks slowly. For the thousands awaiting justice, each day isn’t just a delay, it’s a quiet erosion of hope. From victims whose voices fade beneath endless adjournments to accused individuals who rot behind bars without a verdict, hope becomes a slow- burning pain. What was once the promise of swift and certain justice has withered into a slow crawl, bleeding away trust, corroding faith, and robbing dignity. The question echoing across the nation is simple, yet piercing: when the law cannot keep pace with life, is it still serving the people?
Our judiciary is not just slow, it is suffocating. As of 2025, over 5 crore cases remain pending in Indian courts, a staggering number that hides within it stories of lives on hold, victims re-traumatized, and justice perpetually out of reach. In the The Bhagalpur Blindings (1979–1980) in Bihar, police officers blinded 31 undertrial prisoners by pouring acid into their eyes. No convictions were made for years. It took over three decades for proper disciplinary action, and most of the victims spent their lives in darkness, literally and legally. This case became a symbol of both police brutality and judicial lethargy. The case is a grave example showing deep systemic decay, where the justice system not only failed but did so while those responsible remained untouched. And yet, amidst this chaos, it is the victims who suffer most. Their trauma doesn’t pause while the court takes adjournments. Their fear doesn’t ease because the paperwork isn’t complete. The system reduces lives to case numbers, forgetting that behind each one pulses a heartbeat, echoes a memory, and pleads a life aching to be heard.
Court delays are yet another factor that breeds injustice. Justice delayed is justice denied. A new report confirms how India’s judicial system is moving away from traditionally adversarial notions of criminal procedure and increasingly ignoring the vulnerability of litigants. The judiciary’s ritualistic compliance with legal requirements has not just allowed and encouraged extrajudicial killings in UP but led to an almost-total breakdown of the justice system. The average time taken for the disposal of cases in India is a cause for concern. The data indicates that it takes an average of 15 years for a civil case to reach a conclusion in the Supreme Court, while criminal cases can take around eight years. In some instances, the delays can extend to several decades, leaving litigants and victims in a state of prolonged uncertainty. The ramifications of justice delay are immense. With every delay, faith in justice erodes, trapping people in a relentless cycle where hope fades and justice feels like a distant illusion. The prolonged legal battles drain their financial resources, tarnish mental health, and obstruct socio-economic progress.
The judiciary is theoretically and practically a guardian of justice. But when it fails, the common person loses faith. The consequence? A rising tide of vigilante actions and public lynchings. When courts stall and the law sleeps, people take matters into their own hands, not out of defiance but out helplessness. You all remember the Hyderabad encounter case (2019), don’t you? where a veterinary doctor was murdered by the 4 accused and the perpetrators of the crime were killed by the police in an encounter. The nation erupted in joy, celebrating what felt like swift justice, yet few paused to ask the unsettling question, ‘Was justice truly served or Was it merely a performance of vengeance dressed as righteousness?’ Many people are celebrated for justice but there is also the question raised by the people: is hasty justice fair judgment and whether the police follow the legal system? The people are frustrated with the slow judicial system to the extent they celebrate the quick action of the Police. When justice drags its feet and silences the cries of the wounded, despair takes root, and ordinary people, tired of being unheard begin to carve justice with their own trembling hands.
Justice delays lead to issues of frustration, loss of faith in the judiciary system, injustice to the victim, evidence degradation, memory damage, compromised rights of the accused, and no fair judgment, increasing the crime rate. The issue of justice delay in India demands urgent attention and effective solutions. Expedited reforms are necessary to streamline judicial processes, reduce the backlog of cases, and enhance the efficiency of the legal system. Increased investment in infrastructure, recruitment of more judges, establishing more fast-track Courts, legal aid and the use of technology for case management are potential remedies.
A swift and efficient justice system is not merely a fundamental right of every citizen, it is the very backbone of a thriving democracy, without which both liberty and trust begin to crumble. Addressing the problem of justice delay is crucial to restore public trust, protect human rights, and ensure the rule of law in India. There are numerous factors that aid in delaying justice. Numerous loopholes within the system are wrongfully exploited by the accused to drag proceedings further and further, causing deliberate delays that undermine the very essence of timely justice. The proceedings move at such a sluggish and inadequate pace that reaching a logical, well-reasoned decision in a single sitting becomes nearly impossible.
In cases involving 50 hearings, there are often 10 to 15 adjournments on trivial grounds, with judges absent for another handful of dates, leaving the number of truly effective hearings painfully low. The vast gap between consecutive hearing dates leads to prolonged delays, often stretching from months into years, turning the pursuit of justice into an agonizing wait. The fundamental cause of delay in the Indian justice system is the severe shortage of judges, with nearly 464 positions remaining unfilled.
With only 10.5 judges per million population, India lags far behind other nations, resulting in an overwhelmed judiciary and an ever-growing pendency of cases. India has only 10.5 judges per million of population which is quite low actually a poor ratio in comparison of other countries. This has impacted in a way that there is a huge pile of cases rising day by day with more and more cases filing with time passing. The question that arises in the minds of people is that if the courts can show promptness to hear political cases on Sunday and many issues have been heard at night, why such a hearing cannot be conducted in cases like rape so that an immediate decision can be taken. The government should develop such a system that the decision should come immediately and also ensure immediate punishment.
To restore faith, justice must be swift in action, sensitive in approach, and unwaveringly centered on the survivor. We need more judges, faster trials, and a system that holds perpetrators, not victims accountable for the delay. Because when the courts falter, justice doesn’t die in an explosion—it dies silently, slipping away with nothing but a whisper. And the public, it stops keeping quiet. The cases will be delayed because of human costs, overcrowded court dockets, lack of resources & bureaucratic inefficiencies.
In rape cases, the victim will suffer more than anyone mentally and physically. Some victims will be traumatized by such heinous crimes by the convicts. Those such victims should be taken into consideration while delaying any justice by the court as well there should not be justice given in the hasty and quick. There can be reduced delays through digital case management, video conferencing, electronic filing, Fastrack courts, enacting regulations on lawyer fees, legislating laws for peaceful work, investing in the legal system, providing staff, judges, services, and resources, and training them for the cases. The law should protect and grant rights to innocent people and punish the offenders who have committed the offense. Care must be taken to ensure that police investigations are completed quickly. The judiciary’s inability to deliver timely justice has become a profound source of frustration for all.
Yet, the multiplicity of courts is not a reflection of systemic failure, but rather a testament to the enduring faith people place in the administration of justice. However, there is evidence that rapid fast-track courts are slowing down, witness protection is not being measured, and a professional police force is far from reality. Justice may be delayed, but it is not denied. Anyone who believes that crimes against women can slip through the cracks of the law is mistaken—for despite the procedural flaws that stretch cases into seven long and arduous years, the criminal justice system remains an indispensable pillar of accountability. At last, this is not just an article, it’s a lament, a critique, a cry from the heart of a law student who believes that the system can and must do better.
About Author
Simran, a law student at Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, is deeply drawn to Corporate Law, International Law, and Arbitration. With a strong inclination toward legal writing and research, she engages with the law not just as an academic pursuit, but as a powerful framework for shaping global commercial realities. Aspiring to build a career as a corporate attorney, she believes in the value of disciplined inquiry, clarity in communication, and staying attuned to evolving legal landscapes. Her work reflects a commitment to precision, insight, and a steady pursuit of excellence in the legal profession.
REFERENCES
- Journals Referred
- Online Articles / Sources Referred
- Cases Referred
- Nirbhaya Gang Rape and Murder Case (2012)
- Babri Masjid Case
- Hyderabad Encounter Case (2019)
- The Bhagalpur blindings (1979-80)