Overview

• The court recorded 288 pending trials against organised gangs in Delhi-NCR, with charges framed in only 108 cases and just 25% at the prosecution evidence stage.
• Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi highlighted that engineered delays act as a “game plan” to sway witnesses and erode public confidence in the rule of law.
• An affidavit by Deputy Commissioner Hareshwar V Swami proposed court complexes within prison premises to cut transport delays, boost witness security and curb social media glamourisation of criminals.
• Officials cited BNSS 2023 provisions—strict timelines for charge framing, audio-video proceedings and in-absentia trials—to accelerate the criminal justice process.
• The bench directed the Union and Delhi governments to submit within four weeks a joint plan detailing specialised courts, extra judicial officers and required infrastructure.