Nearly 250 years ago, the British East India Company under governor general Warren Hastings started'Dewani' (civil) and'Fauzdari' (criminal) court system. The first Law Commission, set up in 1834 under Lord T B Macaulay, did stupendous work towards codification of civil and criminal laws. After the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, the British government acted on the drafts presented by the commission and enacted Civil Procedure Code, 1859; Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Criminal Procedure Code, 1861. Codification of civil and criminal laws led to a spurt in court-based litigation which stamped out the traditional panchayat system that provided inexpensive justice. By 1920s, India had a population of 11 crore. Yet, courts had started feeling the heat of pendency.

Nearly 250 years ago, the British East India Company under governor general Warren Hastings started'Dewani' (civil) and'Fauzdari' (criminal) court …