Parliament Question: Pendency of cases

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 61 ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026 PENDENCY OF CASES

61. SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA:

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry is aware that the problem of pendency is particularly acute at the lower levels of judiciary where the majority of cases are filed and where the shortage of judges is most severe;

(b) if so, whether any steps have been taken to address this issue; and

(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? 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 (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. ******STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 61 FOR ANSWER ON 05.02.2026 REGARDING ‘PENDENCY OF CASES’

(a) to (c) Pendency of cases in courts arise due to several factors which inter alia, include complexity of the facts involved, nature of evidence, co-operation of stakeholders, viz., bar, investigation agencies, witness and litigants, the availability of physical infrastructure, supporting court staff, etc. besides the shortage of judges. The disposal of cases is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary. However, the Central Government is committed for speedy disposal of cases and reducing pendency as mandated under Article 21 of the Constitution and has taken several initiatives to provide an ecosystem

for faster disposal of cases by the judiciary: i. 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 19.01.2026, 72 Judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court. 1162 new Judges were appointed and 820 Additional Judges were made permanent in the High Courts during the same period.

The sanctioned strength of Judges of the High Courts has increased from 906 in May, 2014 to 1122 till date. Further, filling up of vacant positions of the judicial officers in District and Subordinate courts is the responsibility of the High Courts and State Governments concerned. As per the Constitutional framework, in exercise of powers conferred under the 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. The 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.

ii. The National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was set up in August, 2011, with the twin objectives of increasing access to justice by reducing delays in the system and enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance standards and capacities.

iii. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for District and Subordinate Courts, a sum of Rs. 12,461.28 crore has been released since the inception of this Scheme in 1993-94. The number of Court halls has increased from 15,818 (as on 30.06.2014) to 22,683 (as on 31.12.2025) and the number of residential units has increased from 10,211 (as on 30.06.2014) to 20,029 (as on 31.12.2025), under this Scheme.

iv. The Phase-III of the eCourts Project (2023-2027) approved on 13.09.2023 with an outlay of Rs.7,210 crore to make justice delivery progressively more robust, easy and accessible. As on November, 2025, 618.36 crores pages of court records have been digitized in the High Courts and District Courts. More than 3.89 crore hearings have taken place through Video conferencing and live streaming is functional in 11 HighCourts. The number of eSewa Kendras (facilitation centres) has increased to 2059 across High Courts and District Courts.

v. Arrears Committees have been set up in all 25 High Courts and the District Courts as well to clear cases pending for more than five years. vi. Fast Track Courts have been established for expeditious trial of specific categories of cases including heinous crimes, cases involving women, children, persons with disabilities, individuals afflicted with terminal illnesses, and property related cases pending for more than five years. As per information received from the High Courts, 876 FTCs are functional across 21 States/UTs as on 30.11.2025. Further, ten Special Courts are functional in nine (9) States/UTs for expeditious trial and disposal of criminal cases involving elected MPs / MLAs.

vii. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Scheme, 774 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including 398 exclusive POCSO

(ePOCSO) Courts are functional across 29 States/UTs as on 30.11.2025, for the expeditious disposal of pending cases of Rape and POCSO Act. viii. The Government has also amended The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018, The Commercial Courts (Amendment) Act, 2018, The Specific Relief

(Amendment) Act, 2018, The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019 and The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2018 with a view to reduce pendency. ix. Alternate Dispute Resolution methods have been promoted. The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 was amended in August, 2018 making Pre-institution Mediation and Settlement (PIMS) mandatory in case of commercial disputes. Amendment to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 has been made by the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act 2015 for expediting the speedy resolution of disputes by prescribing timelines.

x. Lok Adalat is an important Alternative Disputes Resolution Mechanism available to common people, where the disputes/ cases pending in the court of law or at pre- litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably. Under The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, an award made by a Lok Adalat is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal lies against it before any court. National Lok Adalats are organized simultaneously in all Taluks, Districts and High Courts on a pre-fixed date.

xi. The Government launched the Tele-Law program in 2017, which provides an effective and reliable e-interface platform connecting the needy and disadvantaged sections seeking legal advice and consultation with panel lawyers via video conferencing, telephone and chat facilities available at the Common Service Centres (CSCs) situated in Gram Panchayats and through Tele-Law mobile App. Pro bono culture and pro bono lawyering have been institutionalized in the country. Pro Bono Panel of advocates has been established in 23 High Courts. Pro Bono Clubs have been started in 109 Law Schools to instill Pro Bono culture in budding lawyers.

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