India, June 23 -- The case that resulted in one of the most significant procedural reforms to the judiciary began as a modest request from four convicts from Jharkhand who had spent over a decade in custody. Their criminal appeals were heard and reserved by the Jharkhand High Court (HC) between January and June 2022. For nearly three years, no verdict came. They asked the Supreme Court for a simple direction: Pronounce the judgment that has already been reserved. When the Supreme Court called for aggregated numbers from the HC, it found 56 matters were reserved and undecided before a single division bench. Responding to the apex court's nudge, the HC cleared a record 75 criminal appeals in a single week. But the problem, it transpired, wa...