New Delhi, June 1, 2025 — With a career spanning over six decades, senior advocate Lalit Bhasin has offered a comprehensive critique of India’s legal system, calling for sweeping reforms to improve justice delivery, legal education, and gender representation in the judiciary.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Bhasin identified “delay in justice delivery” as the biggest challenge, linking it to outdated and overlapping laws, an overburdened judiciary, and a litigation-heavy culture. He urged a shift towards alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly mediation, which he described as a return to India’s ancient, community-based justice traditions.
“Litigation is costly and slow,” Bhasin said, criticizing arbitration for becoming as expensive and time-consuming as court proceedings. He lauded recent government efforts to promote mediation and advocated for its wider adoption, enhanced by technology and artificial intelligence to make dispute resolution more objective and accessible.
Bhasin also spotlighted the shortcomings of India’s legal education system. He argued that curricula must evolve to include interdisciplinary training in areas like environmental law, technology, and sector-specific expertise to meet modern client demands. He praised select institutions for innovation but called for broader reforms to weed out substandard law schools.
On the judiciary, Bhasin was candid about the flaws in the collegium system of judge appointments, describing it as “undemocratic” and calling for a transparent, participative process involving parliament, executive, and bar associations. He also highlighted the persistent gender imbalance, noting that despite more women entering the legal profession, they remain underrepresented in higher courts.
“We have brilliant women lawyers and judges at lower levels, yet hardly any women in the Supreme Court,” he said, urging proactive government measures to correct this disparity.
Reflecting on his legacy, Bhasin emphasized his commitment to promoting mediation and peaceful dispute resolution. “A bad settlement is better than successful litigation,” he remarked, underscoring the need to change mindsets across the legal fraternity and society.
Bhasin’s vision is clear: an efficient, fair, and modern legal system that balances tradition with innovation to ensure justice for all.
