Lok Sabha Question No. 1827 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Family Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE (DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1827

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 03 rd  JULY, 2019

## Family Courts

## 1827.  DR. HEENA GAVIT:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of family courts in the country, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the  present  condition  and  role  of  family  courts  in  dealing  with  the  increasing family/domestic violence in the country;
- (c) the number of cases disposed of by these courts during the last three years and the current year, State/Union Territory-wise;
- (d) whether there is any fixed time limit to dispose of cases related to domestic/family  violence  in  these  courts,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether  the  Union  Government  has  received  applications  from  various  State Governments for setting up of such courts; and
- (f) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  action  taken  thereon  by  the  Union Government, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF LAW & JUSTICE, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a): The  total  number  of  Family  Courts  in  the  country,  State/UT-wise  is  as  per Annexure-I .

(b)-(c): The role and functions of Family Courts are governed by the Family Courts Act, 1984. Family Courts are set up by the State Governments in consultation with the concerned High Courts from their own resources with a view to promote conciliation and to secure speedy settlement of family disputes. The number of cases disposed of by these courts during the last three years and the current year, State/Union Territorywise as obtained from High Courts is as per Annexure-II .

(d): No time limit has been fixed for disposal of cases as per the Family Courts Act, 1984.  However  as  per  Section  12(5)  of  the  Protection  of  Women  from  Domestic Violence  Act,  2005,  the  Magistrate  shall  endeavor  to  dispose  of  every  application made under Sub Section (1), within a period of sixty days from the date of its first hearing.

Disposal of cases is primarily the responsibility of the judiciary. In the Chief Ministers' and Chief Justices' Conference 2015, directions had been issued to all the High Courts to regularly monitor and take necessary steps for early disposal of such cases.  The  Government  has  adopted  a  coordinated  approach  to  assist  judiciary  for phased  liquidation  of  arrears  and  pendency  in  judicial  systems,  which,  inter-alia, involves better infrastructure for courts including computerization, increase in strength of  judicial  officers/judges,  policy  and  legislative  measures  in  the  areas  prone  to excessive litigation and emphasis on human resource development.

(e)-(f):  Setting  up  of  subordinate  courts,  which  includes  Family  Courts,  is  in  the domain  of  the  State  Governments  who  set  up  such  courts  as  per  their  need  and resources, in consultation with the concerned High Courts.

## ANNEXURE-I

| Sl. No.   | Name of the State/UT             |   No. of Family Courts functional (as on 31.03.2019) |
|-----------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh                   |                                                   14 |
| 2.        | Assam                            |                                                   05 |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh                |                                                    0 |
| 4.        | Mizoram                          |                                                    0 |
| 5.        | Nagaland                         |                                                   02 |
| 6.        | Bihar                            |                                                   39 |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh                     |                                                   21 |
| 8.        | Delhi                            |                                                   21 |
| 9.        | Goa                              |                                                    0 |
| 10.       | Maharashtra                      |                                                   33 |
| 11.       | Gujarat                          |                                                   37 |
| 12.       | Haryana                          |                                                   22 |
| 13.       | Punjab                           |                                                   16 |
| 14.       | Chandigarh                       |                                                    0 |
| 15.       | Himachal Pradesh                 |                                                   03 |
| 16.       | Jammu &Kashmir                   |                                                    0 |
| 17.       | Jharkhand                        |                                                   19 |
| 18.       | Karnataka                        |                                                   32 |
| 19.       | Kerala &Lakshadweep              |                                                   28 |
| 20.       | Madhya Pradesh                   |                                                   58 |
| 21.       | Manipur                          |                                                   07 |
| 22.       | Meghalaya                        |                                                    0 |
| 23.       | Odisha                           |                                                   25 |
| 24.       | Rajasthan                        |                                                   39 |
| 25.       | Sikkim                           |                                                   04 |
| 26.       | Tamil Nadu                       |                                                   30 |
| 27.       | Puducherry                       |                                                   02 |
| 28.       | Tripura                          |                                                   04 |
| 29.       | Uttar Pradesh                    |                                                  108 |
| 30.       | Uttarakhand                      |                                                   16 |
| 31.       | West Bengal &Andaman and Nicobar |                                                   03 |
| 32.       | Telangana                        |                                                   16 |
| 33.       | Daman &Diu                       |                                                    0 |
| 34.       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli              |                                                    0 |
|           | Total                            |                                                  604 |

## ANNEXURE-II

|   Sl. No. | Name of the State/UT   |   No. of Family Courts functional (as on 31.03.2019) | Cases disposed off in Family Courts during 2016*   |   Cases disposed off in Family Courts during 2017 |   Cases disposed off in Family Courts during 2018 | Cases disposed off in Family Courts during 2019   |
|-----------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar                  |                                                   39 | 21141                                              |                                             23023 |                                             19440 | 9807 as on 31.05.2019                             |
|         2 | Sikkim                 |                                                   04 | 303                                                |                                               305 |                                               282 | 132 as on May, 2019                               |
|         3 | Maharashtra            |                                                   33 | 22244                                              |                                             23672 |                                             24385 | 10911 as on May, 2019                             |
|         4 | Punjab                 |                                                   16 | 5704                                               |                                              6195 |                                              5622 | 8869 as on 30.04.2019                             |
|         5 | Haryana                |                                                   22 | 15789                                              |                                             15361 |                                             17274 | 11939 as on 30.04.2019                            |
|         6 | Karnataka              |                                                   32 | 16062                                              |                                             19464 |                                             21724 | 9886 as on May, 2019                              |
|         7 | Assam                  |                                                   05 | 3591                                               |                                              3731 |                                              3942 | 2100 as on 31.05.2019                             |
|         8 | Nagaland               |                                                   02 | 183                                                |                                               165 |                                               139 | 39 as on 31.05.2019                               |
|         9 | Andhra Pradesh         |                                                   14 | 6574                                               |                                              6199 |                                              6895 | 2826 as on 15.06.2019                             |
|        10 | Kerala & Lakshadweep   |                                                   28 | 50530                                              |                                             52151 |                                             51937 | 21360 as on 31.05.2019                            |
|        11 | Uttarakhand            |                                                   16 | 6498                                               |                                              8982 |                                             10829 | 3943 as on 31.05.2019                             |
|        12 | Rajasthan              |                                                   39 | 24818                                              |                                             27172 |                                             30380 | 15666 as on 31.05.2019                            |
|        13 | Chhattisgarh           |                                                   21 | -                                                  |                                             11016 |                                             11428 | 3797 as on 31.03.2019                             |
|        14 | Delhi                  |                                                   21 | 26006                                              |                                             32692 |                                             38534 | 16343 as on 31.05.2019                            |
|        15 | Himachal Pradesh       |                                                   03 | -                                                  |                                              6901 |                                              7553 | 1885 as on                                        |

|    |                                   |     |        |        |        | 631.03.2019            |
|----|-----------------------------------|-----|--------|--------|--------|------------------------|
| 16 | Jharkhand                         |  19 | -      |   9663 |   8057 | 3005 as on 31.03.2019  |
| 17 | Madhya Pradesh                    |  58 | -      |  28800 |  30971 | 8906 as on 31.03.2019  |
| 18 | Manipur                           |  07 | 1058   |   1199 |    757 | 335 as on 31.05.2019   |
| 19 | Odisha                            |  25 | -      |   8695 |   7474 | 2896 as on 31.03.2019  |
| 20 | Tamil Nadu                        |  30 | -      |  22988 |  19094 | 4316 as on 31.03.2019  |
| 21 | Puducherry                        |  02 | -      |    797 |    972 | 246 as on 31.03.2019   |
| 22 | Tripura                           |  04 | 1658   |   2090 |   2584 | 1388 as on 31.05.2019  |
| 23 | Uttar Pradesh                     | 108 | 179724 | 151644 | 162857 | 95564 as on 31.05.2019 |
| 24 | West Bengal & Andaman and Nicobar |  03 | -      |    285 |    725 | 125 as on 31.03.2019   |
| 25 | Telangana                         |  16 | -      |   9926 |  10462 | 1908 as on 31.03.2019  |

* In connection with 2016; all available data has been presented.