Over 3.2 crore cases pending before HCs and subordinate courts across the country
7 Oct, 2012The information points to the fact that the Allahabad HC not only has the highest number of vacancies of judges and also the highest number of pendency. In reply to a Parliamentary question, the government had informed last year that there were 3.2 crore cases pending before HCs and subordinate courts across the country.
The law ministry has informed that the SC had four vacancies for judges against an approved strength of 31 positions as on July 2012. The total approved strength of 21 high courts and the Supreme Court was 895 out of which 262 posts were vacant. Amongst the High Courts, the vacancy position was as under:
- Allahabad HC had 74 vacancies,
- Punjab and Haryana HC had 27 vacancies,
- Bombay HC had 18 vacancies,
- Andhra Pradesh HC had 16 vacancies,
- Himachal Pradesh HC had 13 vacancies, and
- Delhi HC had 12 vacancies.
Reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that as on December 2011, there were 43.22 lakh cases pending before the High Courts of the country out of which 33.69 lakh were civil cases. Amongst the High Courts, the number of pendencies before the HC was as under:
- Allahabad HC had 10 lakh cases,
- Madras HC had 4.6 lakh cases,
- Bombay HC had 3.6 lakh cases, and
- Calcutta HC had 3.4 lakh cases.
A 'National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms' has been recently approved by the government to reduce delays and arrears in the system and enhance accountability.