Newz Desk, Durgapur: India’s lower judiciary is burdened with over 4.8 crore pending cases, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, highlighting persistent vacancies across the country’s judicial system.
Responding to a question raised by MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, the Minister said that 4,855 judges’ posts remain vacant in district and subordinate courts, while 297 positions are unfilled in various High Courts. He underscored that appointments to the lower judiciary fall under the purview of the respective High Courts and State governments.
According to data placed before the House, judicial vacancies are the highest in Uttar Pradesh, which has 1,055 vacant positions, followed by Gujarat (535) and Madhya Pradesh (384). Uttar Pradesh also continues to lead in case pendency: its lower courts alone account for over 1.13 crore pending cases, the highest in the country.
Mr. Meghwal also shared figures on the pendency in the Supreme Court, which currently has 90,694 cases under trial as of December 1, significantly higher than the 70,239 cases pending in 2021. He said that vacancies in the higher judiciary are being filled “on a continuous basis” through coordinated efforts between the executive and the judiciary.
Among High Courts, the Allahabad High Court has the highest number of vacancies — 60 posts unfilled — and also records the greatest pendency with 11,66,971 cases.
Sunny Deol’s iconic “Tareekh pe tareekh” dialogue is from the 1993 film Damini, where his character, a lawyer, passionately protests the endless court dates (“Date after date, date after date, I kept getting dates, My Lord, but never got justice!”) highlighting the justice system’s delays, becoming a famous expression for judicial frustration in India.
The figures once again highlight the deep-rooted challenges of India’s judicial infrastructure — from administrative bottlenecks to mounting caseloads — even as the government continues to push for faster appointments and digital reforms in courts.
Image courtesy@internet
