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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 704
ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026
JUDGES TO POPULATION RATIO
704 Shri Prakash Chik Baraik:
Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:
(a) the number of judges per ten lakh of population in the country, separately for the Supreme court,
High Courts and Lower Judiciary, State-wise;
(b) the number of judges per ten lakh as suggested by the Supreme Court;
(c) the country-wise details of judges per ten lakh population; and
(d) the details of top ten countries with highest judges to population ratio?
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) At present, the number of judges per ten lakh of population in the country works out to be
approximately 22. In order to calculate the judge population ratio for per ten lakh population in a
particular year, the Ministry of Law and Justice uses the criterion based on the population data as
per Census 2011 (1210.85 million) and the sanctioned strength of Judges in the Supreme Court,
High Court and District & Subordinate Courts in the year 2026. The number of judges per ten lakh
of population for the Supreme court is 0.028; for the High Courts is 0.92; and for the Lower
Judiciary, State-wise is placed at Annexure.
(b) The Supreme Court of India, in its judgment dated 02.01.2017 in Imtiyaz Ahmed v. State of Uttar
Pradesh [(2017) 3 SCC 658], observed that in its judgment delivered on 21.03.2002 in All India
Judges’ Assn. (3) v. Union of India, while endorsing the views of the Law Commission in its 120th
Report, it had directed that a judge-to-population ratio of fifty judges per million be achieved.
Similar observations were made in cases such as P. Ramachandra Rao v. State of Karnataka [(2002)
4 SCC 478] and Brij Mohan Lal v. Union of India [(2002) 5 SCC 1].
(c) and (d) The data regarding country-wise details of judges per ten lakh population and top ten
countries with highest judges to population ratio is not maintained.
****ANNEXURE
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED
QUESTION NO. 704 FOR ANSWER ON 05.02.2026 REGARDING ‘JUDGES TO POPULATION
RATIO’
NUMBER OF JUDGES PER TEN LAKH POPULATION FOR LOWER JUDICIARY,
STATE-WISE
Sr State/UT Total population as Total sanctioned strength Judge to
No. per Census 2011 of Judges in Lower population ratio
Judiciary as per MIS
portal
1 JAMMU & KASHMIR 12541302 339 27.03
2 LADAKH
3 HIMACHAL 6864602 188 27.39
PRADESH
4 PUNJAB 27743338 812 29.27
5 CHANDIGARH 1055450 30 28.42
6 UTTARAKHAND 10086292 298 29.55
7 HARYANA 25351462 781 30.81
8 NCT OF DELHI 16787941 897 53.43
9 RAJASTHAN 68548437 1699 24.79
10 UTTAR PRADESH 199812341 3700 18.52
11 BIHAR 104099452 2025 19.45
12 SIKKIM 610577 35 57.32
13 ARUNACHAL 1383727 53 38.30
PRADESH
14 NAGALAND 1978502 34 17.18
15 MANIPUR 2855794 62 21.71
16 MIZORAM 1097206 74 67.44
17 TRIPURA 3673917 133 36.20
18 MEGHALAYA 2966889 99 33.37
19 ASSAM 31205576 485 15.54
20 WEST BENGAL 91276115 1105 12.05
21 ANDAMAN & 380581
NICOBAR ISLANDS
22 JHARKHAND 32988134 707 21.43
23 ODISHA 41974218 1043 24.85
24 CHHATTISGARH 25545198 663 25.95
25 MADHYA PRADESH 72626809 2028 27.92
26 GUJARAT 60439692 1720 28.46
27 DAMAN & DIU 243247 4 16.44
28 DADRA & NAGAR 343709 3 8.73
HAVELI
29 MAHARASHTRA 112374333 2190 19.49
30 ANDHRA PRADESH 84580777 1203 14.22
31 TELANGANA32 KARNATAKA 61095297 1395 22.83
GOA 1458545 50 34.28
34 LAKSHADWEEP 64473 4 62.04
35 KERALA 33406061 611 18.29
36 TAMIL NADU 72147030 1386 19.21
37 PUDUCHERRY 1247953 38 30.45
*******