The judicial appointment drive has significantly raised working bench strength across major Indian benches, reaching vacancy levels unseen since July 2009. However, adding more judges has failed to halt the deepening backlog that now burdens every tier of the court network. Case volumes have grown drastically, with High Court backlogs rising from 39.5 lakh in 2009 to 64 lakh today. Without structural improvements, the influx of personnel continues to be outpaced by escalating litigation.
Key points
Filling vacant judicial seats has not been sufficient to stop the ongoing accumulation of…: Filling vacant judicial seats has not been sufficient to stop the ongoing accumulation of court cases.
Lower courts face an intensifying backlog crisis alongside roughly 5,000 unfilled judicia…: Lower courts face an intensifying backlog crisis alongside roughly 5,000 unfilled judicial posts out of 25,894.
High Court judge vacancy rates have declined to 26 percent after remaining between 36 and…: High Court judge vacancy rates have declined to 26 percent after remaining between 36 and 40 percent for a decade.
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With 64 lakh cases, backlog refuses to easeNEW DELHI: After hovering between 36% and 40% over the past decade, vacancies in HC judges have shown a significant decline, falling to 26%, this despite sanctioned strength of judges in HCs increasing from 906 in 2014 to 1,122.The largest HC, Allahabad, has brought down its vacancies to 56 against a sanctioned strength of 160 judges, as of Nov 1.The other HCs with bigger benches and usually large vacancies - Bombay, Punjab and Haryana, Madras, Calcutta, Karnataka and Delhi - too, have increased their working strength, bringing down vacancies.The last time judges' vacancies were this low (at 26%) was in July 2009, when there were 234 judges posts to be filled against a sanctioned strength of 886 in 21 HCs then.Vacancies in HCs started gradually climbing thereafter, which coincided with the friction between higher judiciary and govt over an attempt to bring a judicial accountability bill and passage of National Judicial Appointments Commission Act by Parliament. NJAC Act was later struck down by Supreme Court.
A judicial shortage in the northeastern state has effectively halted division bench proceedings, preventing decisions made by single judges from being reviewed internally. To prevent ongoing delays for litigants, the court's leadership reached out to the nation's top judicial authority for an administrative intervention. The situation highlights operational strains when regional institutions operate below their sanctioned capacity.
A nearly decade-long legal battle spanning two trials and three appeals concluded with a ruling that ownership victories do not automatically guarantee cost recovery. The decision leaves the prevailing property owner responsible for substantial litigation expenses despite successfully establishing title over the contested parking area. State law strictly limits fee awards unless the action directly enforces development covenants rather than individual deed rights.
The dominant six-try performance at Aviva Stadium revitalized the hosts' campaign after entering the weekend positioned fourth in the northern section. By overcoming an early deficit, the Irish squad preserved their formidable home record against Los Pumas and built vital momentum ahead of critical upcoming fixtures. The comprehensive bonus-point victory leaves the visiting side still searching for a breakthrough victory on Irish soil.