INSTITUTIONAL INEFFICIENCIES AND THEIR SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF BNS DOWRY LITIGATION IN DELHI NCT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/znmtj187Keywords:
Dowry harassment, administrative processes, Judicial inefficiency, Business intelligence, Decision support systemsAbstract
The implementation of dowry harassment provisions under Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Delhi National Capital Territory reveals a critical gap between legislative intent and judicial practice. The analysis focuses on institutional functioning, procedural efficiency, and the broader socio-economic implications of judicial delays in matrimonial cruelty trials. An ethnographic mixed-methods approach was employed over eight months (August 2024–March 2025), combining participant observation in district courts (Rohini, Saket, and Ghaziabad), semi-structured interviews with judicial actors, litigants, and legal professionals, and analysis of case records and trial data. An institutional performance framework was applied using process efficiency indicators such as case duration, adjournment frequency, and conviction rates, situating the research within operations and decision sciences. Persistent procedural delays, high pendency rates, and low conviction outcomes indicate systemic inefficiencies in judicial and investigative processes. Variations in judicial interpretation, frequent adjournments, evidentiary rigidity, and police shortcomings contribute to the divergence between law-in-text and law-in-practice. These inefficiencies operate as institutional bottlenecks, reducing system throughput and overall effectiveness, while also generating indirect economic costs that affect workforce productivity and organizational stability. The findings highlight the need for judicial reforms, improved case management practices, and the integration of data-driven tools such as business intelligence and decision support systems to enhance efficiency, transparency, and decision-making within courts. By integrating ethnographic insights with operational and management perspectives, the analysis demonstrates that judicial inefficiency extends beyond legal concerns to influence organizational performance, workforce productivity, governance outcomes, and broader economic stability, contributing to business law, institutional performance, and policy-relevant decision-making frameworks.
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