The Imagination and Reality of Court Managers in India

The Court Manager (CM) post was created in India in 2010 to improve court functioning. The imagination of the policymakers was that CMs would work in the diverse areas related to court management, including work for policy and standards, planning, information and standards, court and case management, human resource management, core system management, and IT system management. A few studies reported that the judges are reluctant to give the expected powers to the CMs. This study aims to check the utilization level of CMs. For this purpose, an interview schedule and a five-point Likert questionnaire were created. Thirty-one CMs were interviewed, and responses were taken from forty-one CMs using a questionnaire. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis, and the questionnaire was analyzed using mean scores. The reasons preventing the full utilization of the position of CM are discussed. Results reflect that CMs need adequate empowerment and support to make decisions for their imagined role. Based on the suggestions of the CMs, recommendations are given to better utilize this position by the Indian judicial system.