India's Attorney General Demands a New Plea Bargaining Framework at a Seminar on Delivering Justice on Time

News Desk, News Nation 360: Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani called for a new framework and national protocol for plea bargaining based on social, cultural, and economic theories during the inaugural session of the seminar "Delivering Justice in Time: Global Practices and Indian Experiences," jointly organized by O.P. Jindal Global University and National Law University Delhi on March 18, 2026. Emphasising the need for a National Institute for Criminal Justice Administration and a university-maintained Legal Health Index to identify preventative procedures, the Attorney General noted that the Chief Justice of India has consented to internal discussions on these systemic reforms. Senior Advocate and MP Dr Abhishek M. Singhvi delivered the keynote address, highlighting the paradox of India’s sophisticated jurisprudence existing alongside a backlog of over five crore cases and urging a curative "ABCD" approach to tackle access, backlog, cost, and delay through judicial appointments and the revival of Gram Nyayalayas. Prof. (Dr) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, proposed five pillars for reform—including AI integration and data-driven governance—while NLU Delhi Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) G.S. Bajpai cautioned that speed must not compromise procedural integrity or fairness. The day-long event featured sessions with prominent legal experts like Dr Pinky Anand and Geeta Luthra, focusing on institutional efficiency and digital courts, with the ultimate goal of expanding these deliberations into a nationwide series to build collective momentum for timely justice delivery.

Pic: Courtesy