10,000 Cases Pending in SC for Over 10 Years; 80,000 in HCs for 30 Years
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Polity
Why in news
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed Parliament that over 10,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court for more than 10 years, and over 80,000 cases in high courts for over 30 years. This highlights the persistent issue of judicial pendency despite significant government investment in infrastructure and technology.
Background
The government has spent over Rs 9,800 crore since 2011 on court infrastructure and technology integration. However, these efforts have had little impact on clearing decades-old cases. The law minister attributed delays to judicial vacancies and the judiciary's responsibility for timely disposal.
Key facts
Over 10,000 cases pending in Supreme Court for over 10 years.
558 cases pending in Supreme Court for over 20 years.
26 cases pending in Supreme Court for over 30 years.
Over 80,000 cases pending in high courts for over 30 years.
High courts have 341 vacancies against sanctioned strength of 1,122 judges.
Subordinate courts have 7,311 vacancies against approved strength of 30,868 judges.
Law minister blamed high court collegiums for not following timeline for judge appointments.
Arrears Committees set up in all 25 high courts and district courts to clear cases pending over 5 years.
New laws enacted: New Criminal Laws 2023, Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act 2018, Commercial Courts (Amendment) Act 2018, Specific Relief (Amendment) Act 2018.
Prelims pointers
- Supreme Court of India
- High Courts
- Arrears Committees
- New Criminal Laws 2023
- Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018
- Commercial Courts (Amendment) Act, 2018
- Specific Relief (Amendment) Act, 2018
- Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal
- Collegium system
Mains angles
- Discuss the causes of judicial pendency in India and suggest measures to reduce it.
- Critically examine the role of the collegium system in judicial appointments and its impact on pendency.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of government initiatives like Arrears Committees and new criminal laws in addressing case backlog.