Role and institutional contribution of the Amicus Curiae in public interest litigations

The reliance placed by the Court upon the draft manual formulated by the Amicus Curiae underscores the indispensable role played by court-appointed counsel in complex public interest litigations seeking systemic institutional reforms. In instances where state authorities demonstrate institutional lethargy or fail to proactively initiate statutory or administrative overhauls, the Amicus Curiae performs the critical function of synthesizing comparative data, state perspectives, and constitutional mandates into an actionable regulatory template. The Court's formal endorsement and adoption of the Amicus Curiae’s laborious work product demonstrates how judicial assistance bridges the gap between executive inertia and judicial policy formulation, effectively transforming specialized research into binding directives for governance. (Peoples Union for Civil Liberties & Anr. Vs The State of Maharashtra & Ors. | 2026 INSC 45)