Book Talk
"Tareekh Pe Justice: Reforms for India’s District Courts"
About the Book
"Tareekh pe Justice" was written by Mr. Prashant Reddy Thikkavarapu (NLS Alumni) and Chitrakshi Jain, using an empirical approach. It argues that one of the biggest failures of the Indian state since it gave itself a new Constitution in 1950 has been its inability to deliver fair and timely justice to its citizens, which occurs due to delays in district courts.
In this book, the authors attempt to reframe the issue of judicial reform by pointing to the institutional factors that have created a chilling atmosphere for the judges of the district judiciary, hampering their ability to deliver fearless, swift and decisive justice.
The authors also point to a litany of problems within the higher judiciary upon whom falls the responsibility of administering the district courts. This includes a failure to publish accurate judicial statistics, an opaque decision-making process, a poorly conceptualized digitization project that has gobbled up more than Rs 2,000 crore and reckless judicial activism that has often resulted in half-baked judicial reforms.
The Book Talk
The Legal Services Clinic organised a Book Talk on "Tareekh pe Justice" on August 21, 2025 at the NLSIU Library. The event was open to all members of the NLS community. It featured the book's authors in conversation with Ms. Varsha Aithala, Assistant Professor of Law, National Law School of India University.
The talk started with an introductory presentation by the authors, outlining the core themes of the book and findings of their research. This was followed by a moderated panel discussion led by Prof. Varsha Aithala, exploring the book's implications for legal policy, governance, and technology. Lastly, an interactive Question-and-Answer session was held, which allowed for direct engagement between the audience and the panellists, facilitating a robust exchange of ideas.
