Executive Summary:
This document, a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2081, details the number of vacant posts in the Supreme Court, High Courts, and District and Subordinate Courts as of July 2025. It outlines steps taken by the government to fill these vacancies and provides data on appointments made between May 2014 and July 2025. It also specifies that filling vacancies in District and Subordinate Courts is the responsibility of State Governments and High Courts.
Key Points / Main Content:
Vacancy Statistics:
* Supreme Court: 1 vacant post as of 25.07.2025.
* High Courts: 362 vacant posts as of 25.07.2025. (See Annexure I for High Court-wise details).
* District and Subordinate Courts: 4,721 vacant posts as of 28.07.2025. (See Annexure II for State/UT-wise details).
Government Actions to Fill Vacancies:
* Supreme Court: 70 Judges appointed from 01.05.2014 to 21.07.2025.
* High Courts: 1058 new Judges appointed and 794 Additional Judges made permanent from 01.05.2014 to 21.07.2025.
* High Courts: Sanctioned strength increased from 906 in May 2014 to 1122 till date.
District and Subordinate Courts:
* Sanctioned Strength: Increased from 19,518 (31.12.2013) to 25,843 (28.07.2025).
* Working Strength: Increased from 15,115 (31.12.2013) to 21,122 (28.07.2025).
* Filling vacancies is the responsibility of State Governments and concerned High Courts, following rules framed under Article 309, 233, and 234 of the Constitution, and timelines stipulated by the Supreme Court in the Malik Mazhar Sultan case (January 2007).
Impact Analysis:
State Governments and High Courts:
* Impact: Responsible for filling vacant positions of judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts.
* Action Required: Adhere to Constitutional provisions and Supreme Court guidelines (Malik Mazhar Sultan case) for the appointment and recruitment of Judicial Officers.
Department of Justice:
* Impact: Responsible for maintaining and updating the MIS Portal with current vacancy data.
* Action Required: Continue to update and maintain accurate data on the MIS Portal.
Key Entities Referenced
Supreme Court: The highest judicial body in India, mentioned in the context of vacant posts.
High Courts: Refers to the various High Courts in India, mentioned in the context of sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancies.
District Courts: Refers to the District Courts in India, mentioned in the context of sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancies.
Ministry of Law and Justice: The government ministry responsible for Law and Justice, answering the question in the Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question regarding vacant posts was raised.
Arjun Ram Meghwal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice; AND Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, who provided the answer.
Karnataka: A state in India, specifically mentioned regarding the details of vacant posts in High Courts and District Courts.
Constitution of India: The supreme law of India, Articles 233, 234 and 309 are mentioned with respect to the recruitment of Judicial Officers.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2081
TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 1ST AUGUST, 2025
FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS
2081. SHRI GOVIND MAKTHAPPA KARJOL:
Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:
(a) the number of posts lying vacant in Supreme court, High Courts, District Courts and
allied offices, including backlog vacancies;
(b) the details of the posts vacant in High Courts and District Courts in Karnataka
including backlog vacancies;
(c) whether the Government has taken adequate steps to fill up the vacancies including
backlog vacancies; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW
AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)
(a) to (d): The numbers of posts vacant in Supreme Court, High Courts and District and
Subordinate Courts are as under:
S. No. Name of Court Vacancy as on 25.07.2025
1. Supreme Court 01
2. High Courts 362
3. District and Subordinate Courts* 4,721(as on 28.07.2025)
*As per MIS Portal of Department of Justice
Further, the details of existing vacancies in the High Courts (High Court wise) and the
District & Subordinate Courts (State/UT wise) are at Annexure-I and Annexure-II
respectively.
The Government has been filling up vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and
the High Courts from time to time. From 01.05.2014 to 21.07.2025, 70 Judges have been
1appointed in the Supreme Court. 1058 new Judges were appointed and 794 Additional Judges
were made permanent in the High Courts during the same period. The sanctioned strength of
Judges of the High Courts was increased from 906 in May, 2014 to 1122 till date. The
sanctioned and working strengths of judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts have
increased as under:
As on Sanctioned Strength Working Strength
31.12.2013 19,518 15,115
28.07.2025 25,843 21,122
Source: MIS Portal of the Department of Justice
Filling up of vacant positions of the judicial officers in District and Subordinate courts is
the responsibility of the State Governments and the concerned High Courts. As per the
Constitutional framework, in exercise of powers conferred under proviso to Article 309 read
with Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution, the respective State Government in consultation
with the High Court frames the rules and regulations regarding the appointment and
recruitment of Judicial Officers. Hon’ble Supreme Court vide order passed in January 2007 in
the Malik Mazhar Sultan case, has inter-alia, stipulated certain timelines, which are to be
followed by the States and the respective High Courts for recruitment of judges in District and
Subordinate Courts.
*****
2ANNEXURE-I
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2081 FOR ANSWER ON 01.08.2025 REGARDING
‘FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS.
Sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancies of Judges in the High Courts (As on
25.07.2025)
High Courts Sanctioned Strength Working Strength Vacancy
1 Allahabad 160 80 80
2 Andhra Pradesh 37 28 9
3 Bombay 94 67 27
4 Calcutta 72 48 24
5 Chhattisgarh 22 16 6
6 Delhi 60 43 17
7 Gauhati 30 21 9
8 Gujarat 52 39 13
9 Himachal Pradesh 17 11 6
10 J & K and Ladakh 25 15 10
11 Jharkhand 25 15 10
12 Karnataka 62 47 15
13 Kerala 47 43 4
14 Madhya Pradesh 53 33 20
15 Madras 75 57 18
16 Manipur 5 3 2
17 Meghalaya 4 4 0
18 Orissa 33 20 13
19 Patna 53 36 17
20 Punjab & Haryana 85 49 36
21 Rajasthan 50 43 7
22 Sikkim 3 3 0
23 Telangana 42 26 16
24 Tripura 5 4 1
25 Uttarakhand 11 9 2
Total 1122 760 362
3ANNEXURE-II
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2081 FOR ANSWER ON 01.08.2025 REGARDING
‘FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS.
Posts of Judicial Officer in District and Subordinate Courts (As on 28.07.2025)
Sanctioned Working
Sl. NO. State/UTs Vacancy
Strength Strength
1. Andhra Pradesh 639 574 65
2. Arunachal Pradesh 44 39 5
3. Assam 485 461 24
4. Bihar 2022 1679 343
5. Chandigarh 30 30 0
6. Chhattisgarh 663 465 198
7. D & N Haveli and Daman & Diu 7 6 1
8. Delhi 897 788 109
9. Goa 50 40 10
10. Gujarat 1720 1185 535
11. Haryana 781 661 120
12. Himachal Pradesh 179 160 19
13. Jammu and Kashmir 322 272 50
14. Jharkhand 707 501 206
15. Karnataka 1394 1167 227
16. Kerala 614 579 35
17. Ladakh 17 10 7
18. Lakshadweep 4 4 0
19. Madhya Pradesh 2028 1669 359
20. Maharashtra 2190 1940 250
21. Manipur 62 49 13
22. Meghalaya 99 57 42
23. Mizoram 74 45 29
24. Nagaland 34 24 10
25. Odisha 1043 835 208
26. Puducherry 38 26 12
27. Punjab 811 716 95
28. Rajasthan 1683 1506 177
29. Sikkim 35 23 12
30. Tamil Nadu 1375 1240 135
31. Telangana 560 445 115
32. Tripura 133 106 27
33. Uttar Pradesh 3700 2675 1025
34. Uttarakhand 298 270 28
35. West Bengal
1105 875 230
36. Andaman and Nicobar
TOTAL 25,843 21,122 4,721
Source: MIS portal of Department of Justice (DoJ)
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