In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed systemic delays in India's legal aid system affecting convicts filing appeals in the highest court. The Court found that administrative bottlenecks—poor document translation, missing records, and communication gaps—violated the constitutional right to speedy justice under Article 21. The judgment mandated a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure requiring strict timelines: 15 days to assign lawyers in urgent death sentence cases, 14 days for basic legal aid processing, and immediate digital platforms connecting courts, prisons, and legal aid committees. It directed High Courts to recruit qualified translators, establish monitoring committees, and implement a unified digital system for tracking cases, making legal aid a constitutional obligation, not charity.
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