4 Crore Cases Pending In District Courts, Law Ministry Tells Parliament
The Union Law Ministry informed the Parliament that there were over 4,43,92,136 pending cases in District and Subordinate Courts nationwide as of July 24. Among these, approximately 1 Lakh cases have been pending for more than 30 years. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of pending cases, exceeding 1 Crore (1,16,35,286 to be exact), followed by Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal. The state also leads in the highest number of vacancies for judges in lower Courts, with around 1200 positions yet to be filled.
For High Courts, the Ministry disclosed that over 60 Lakh cases are pending, and Allahabad High Court alone contributes around 10 Lakh pending cases. Allahabad, Bombay, Rajasthan, and Madras have the most significant number of pending cases in High Courts. Furthermore, Allahabad High Court also has the highest number of vacancies, with 65 positions awaiting appointment.
However, the government responded that the increased pendency of cases in courts cannot be solely attributed to the vacancy of judges. Several factors contribute to the situation, such as physical infrastructure and supporting court staff availability, case complexity, nature of evidence, cooperation from stakeholders like the bar, investigation agencies, witnesses, and litigants, and the proper application of rules and procedures.
As of July 2023, the Supreme Court has around 69 thousand pending cases and two vacant seats. According to the data from the Supreme Court of India as of March 21, 2023, the number of cases pending for various durations in High Courts and District Courts was not provided in the given text.
