In this piece, Lakshmi Menon examines how delays, bottlenecks, and weak enforcement in civil courts drive lawyers and litigants to misuse criminal law for quicker settlements. She highlights the unpopularity of civil courts, the systemic nature of the problem and argues that real change lies not in blaming individuals but in pursuing institutional reforms to strengthen our civil courts.

In July this year, the Kerala High Court published a set of guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (AI) use by the district judiciary (“Policy Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in District Judiciary”). As the first policy in the country directly addressing AI use in judicial processes and setting out strict safeguards, it is timely.