Week 1: Welcome to Delhi-A Brief Overview
India is a dichotomy. A stark contrast of great beauty and great poverty, a paradox of capitalism
and traditionalism, a nation still trying to find its identity while being asked to carry the hopes
of over a billion people. India gained independence in 1947, but still retains the Common Law system implemented by the British Empire. This relianceon a system created by an oppressive ruler has led to an innate distrust of the judiciary, in a government already plagued by corruption and stagnation. As such, the advocates and litigators are fighting against a stacked deck. In ten weeks, I do not expect this to magically turn around, but my hope is that the work I am doing here can aid the less fortunate and create a successful template for interns and volunteers in the future.
I have the privilege of working for International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), a non-profit
organization dedicated to protecting basic legal rights in developing countries. Specifically, that
includes competent representation, the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,
and the right to a fair trial. Interestingly, India abolished jury trials, where the judiciary decided
that media and social pressures degraded the integrity the jury, making jury trials unreliable.
Even with a legal infrastructure and legal aid services set up at all levels of the judiciary, there is
a huge backlog of cases in the courts. Currently, there are over 30 million cases pending in the
various courts across India. The Delhi High Court is operating at half-strength, with only 36 out
of 60 judges appointed. In this court alone, there are over 70,000 cases pending. And the
numbers are only going up, with no real solution in sight.
These numbers are staggering. With such a large backlog of cases, people accused of a crime
have to wait an average of six years for their matters to settle. But this issue affects the
disadvantaged classes far more than others – and that is where IBJ Delhi puts its focus. Lower-
income citizens, who are more likely to be less educated and without the resources to properly
defend themselves, find themselves detained pretrial for four years on average. They cannot
provide the funds for bail, and without proper representation, they languish in overcrowded,
unsanitary, and dangerous prisons. In my first week here, I am in awe of the staff’s passion and
focus in their work. Recently, the head of the country program and my boss, Ajay Verma, was
able to get a client out on bail after nine years without a trial. That level of mistreatment is heartbreaking and despicable, and the knowledge that there are still hundreds of cases like hers is motivation to work as hard as possible to help these people.
When I first received my position with IBJ in Delhi, I was skeptical about the placement. Was this pigeonholing me into a position because of where I come from, as a child of Indian immigrants? This identity is always something I have struggled with, and after my first week here, I now know that this is an opportunity for me to contribute back to a country that has given me everything. In the coming weeks, I will highlight both the terror and the beauty of this place, and I will try to find the balance that keeps this country going.
My little office oasis, for when I can stand outside without dying for more than 2 minutes.