What We Know About The Centre’s Plan To Introduce ‘Evening Courts’ In India

The Union government plans to launch evening courts in Delhi, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as a pilot to speed up the disposal of pending cases. Courts that currently sit during the day would extend their hearings by a few hours into the evening, with retired judges expected to support the sessions.

Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal outlined the plan in an interview with The New Indian Express. He said the pilot would be introduced in collaboration with the respective High Courts and its performance assessed before any expansion.

Courts To Sit For Extra Evening Hours

Under the proposed arrangement, courts operating during regular daytime hours would sit for “a few additional hours in the evening” to hear cases and expedite their disposal, Meghwal said.

The minister said retired judges would be engaged to support the initiative. The pilot is expected to begin soon in Delhi, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

High Courts To Work With The Centre

The evening court pilot will be launched in collaboration with the respective High Courts. The government plans to assess its performance in the three initial jurisdictions before considering an extension to other states and Union Territories.

Meghwal did not identify the specific courts that will take part or the types of cases they will hear. He described the aim as hearing cases and speeding up the disposal of pending matters.

Lok Adalats And Dispute Resolution

Evening courts are one part of the government’s approach to reducing the load on courts. Meghwal said the government is also focusing on resolving and disposing of cases through Lok Adalats.

He also highlighted Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), in which an impartial third party helps people communicate, negotiate and reach a mutually acceptable settlement. The government is focusing on pre-mediation as well, to help resolve disputes before they lead to prolonged litigation.