Centre to launch ‘evening courts' on pilot basis in Delhi, Bihar, Andhra to tackle case pendency

The Union government is set to establish ‘evening courts’ as a pilot project in Delhi, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh to tackle case pendency.

The same was revealed by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal in an interview with The New Indian Express.

In the interview, the Meghwal outlined the government's strategy to expedite case disposal. 

Under the proposed arrangement, courts currently operating during standard daytime hours, will extend their sittings into the evening for a few additional hours specifically to hear and clear pending matters.

The minister further said that the Centre plans to engage the services of retired judges to preside over the evening sessions.

The initiative is slated to commence shortly in collaboration with the respective High Courts.

The minister explained that following a comprehensive performance assessment of the pilot phase in the initial three regions, the Central government will consider expanding the model to other States and Union Territories.

Beyond the introduction of evening courts, the Union Minister highlighted the government's continued reliance on alternative mechanisms to ease the institutional burden on courts.

In this regard, he highlighted an increased focus on resolving and disposing of matters through Lok Adalats and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) frameworks.