Judicial Delays Reducing India's GDP by 2% Annually: Former Justice AS Oka

Former Supreme Court Justice AS Oka has highlighted that India’s systemic judicial inefficiencies, including a severe shortage of judges and poor infrastructure, are costing the economy an estimated 1.5% to 2% of GDP annually.

With only 22 judges per million people, less than half the recommended ratio, commercial disputes often exceed 1,400 days to resolve.

This "execution risk" has significantly deterred foreign direct investment, which saw a 43% drop in 2023.

Justice Oka emphasized that without urgent reforms to judicial capacity and contract enforcement, where India ranks 163rd globally, the backlog of 3.5 crore cases will continue to stifle national economic growth.