It’s not only the Judiciary that’s culpable of denying justice through delays, the Executive is also guilty of similar wrongs. And such a systemic failure can affect India’s animals, too. A leopard died after 22 days in captivity as officials in Uttarakhand tried to decide whether it had killed a 65-year-old widow. After the cat had been captured and caged, a test confirmed it was not the culprit. Then, as a forest officer waited to know whether to release it or shift it to a rescue centre, the wounded leopard died after struggling in confinement. Such cruel stories should propel us to work towards a system where no life is lost to red tape.