This project aims at developing simulation models for court and case management. The main challenge the courts face in India is the delays in court proceedings and backlogs that pile up in the system. This, in fact, is the core challenge faced by courts almost all over the world.

In the spirit of the five steps of DMAIC (an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control), this project will study the status of court/case management in the Indian judicial context (with a focus on one High Court) to suggest improvements in the context of (i) throughput (ii) backlogs. The goal of this project is to integrate the domains of operations research and data analytics to improve the functioning of courts. The project will adopt a systems-based approach to develop innovative solutions for improving the workflow in the court system. The project will incorporate conceptual, technological, informational, and behavioral aspects in court/case management.

The project team is consulting legal experts, operations researchers, and data analytics experts, judges, and policymakers for this project.

Project Update (June 2022) :

Draft Paper on Court Management and Case Management – The Past, Present, and the Future

This Draft Paper sets the context for a forward-looking discussion on court and case management. To look at the future, we need to understand the challenges of the past. The discussions highlighted in this paper on court management, case flow management, and organizational methodologies are all important to contribute to a better justice system. The paper particularly highlights the need for technology tools alongside court management and case flow management initiatives.

Process Mapping

Process mapping as a concept has several uses in the business industry, allowing corporates and other organizations to improve efficiency. However, it can be used in the backdrop of the judiciary too. If the judiciary is viewed as an institution that works like any other organizational entity, process mapping can be used to analyse the various stages of a case. Process mapping will allow us to understand the impact of each stage on a case as a whole.

The CoE team working on this simulation project has mapped the processes for certain case types (commercial cases and writ petitions ). This process mapping is the first step in this simulation project to understand the time and resource constraints required for a case across its lifecycle – from filing to disposal.

We would like to acknowledge the inputs and assistance from Genpact team for helping us in preparing the process maps.

Principal Investigator:
Professor Shaurya Shriyam
Department of Mechanical Engineering