CHITRAL: Pakistan’s judicial system is burdened with a huge backlog of cases, causing justice to be delayed for years and, in many cases, effectively denied. While increasing the number of judges and improving court infrastructure are important, greater accountability for litigants, lawyers and judges can help the system momentously. The following reforms deserve consideration.

Initial scrutiny of cases: Every case filed in a court should undergo strict scrutiny at the very beginning. Cases that are clearly frivolous, legally unmaintainable or without merit should be rejected outright. If a litigant still insists on pursuing such a case, a substantial additional fee or security deposit should be imposed to discourage abuse of the judicial process.

Penalty for frivolous litigation: If a case proceeds to a full hearing but is dismissed because it is obviously weak in law or unsupported by facts, both the litigant and the lawyer should be ordered to pay substantial costs for wasting the court’s valuable time.

Accountability of lawyers: Lawyers who repeatedly file cases that are fundamentally weak, frivolous or legally unsustainable should face disciplinary action. Besides monetary penalties, their professional performance record should be affected. Persistent misuse of the legal system should eventually lead to cancellation of their license.

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Performance evaluation of judges: A transparent performance evaluation system should be introduced for judges. If a judge’s decisions are repeatedly overturned by higher courts due to clear legal or factual errors, this should be reflected in the judge’s performance record. Continued poor performance should affect promotions and, in extreme cases, result in removal from judicial office after an independent review. However, genuine differences in legal interpretation should not be treated as misconduct.

Digital performance records: A computerized record of every judge’s and lawyer’s professional performance should be maintained by the court registry. Statistics such as cases decided, cases overturned on appeal, delays, and disciplinary actions should be automatically updated. Such data would promote transparency, accountability and merit-based evaluation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence: Every judge should have access to approved Artificial Intelligence tools to assist in legal research, reviewing precedents, analysing evidence and preparing draft opinions. AI should support judicial decision-making by improving efficiency and consistency, while the final decision must always remain the responsibility of the judge.

All doable reforms- if implemented can make the judicial system more efficient and garner the much needed trust of the people. .. CN report, 30 Jul 2026