Lok Sabha Question No. 227 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-18
Subject: Vacancies in Judiciary
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: GANESH SINGH, M. K. RAGHAVAN, BHARAT SINGH, AJAY (TENI) MISRA, SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV, DHARAMBIR BHALERAM, PRATHAP SIMHA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 227

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 18.07.2018

## Vacancies in Judiciary

## 227. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

SHRI M.K. RAGHAVAN:

SHRI BHARAT SINGH:

SHRI AJAY MISRA TENI:

SHRI SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV:

SHRI DHARAMBIR:

SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

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

- (a)  the  details  of  the  vacancies  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  all  the  High Courts and district courts of the country, court-wise;
- (b)   the  details  of  steps  taken/being  taken  to  fill  these  vacancies  at  the earliest;
- (c)   the details of the cases pending in all the courts across the country, State and court-wise;
- (d)   the  details  of  steps  taken/being taken to dispose off all the pending cases at the earliest;
- (e)   whether the Government has planned that recruitments are made in advance against posts that are likely to fall vacant and if so, the details thereof;
- (f) whether any time limit has been fixed/will be fixed or policy framed by the Government to take further action on the panel of judges approved by the collegium and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (g)   the  number  of  such  recommendations  of  the  collegium  regarding appointments/transfers in the Supreme Court or High Courts on which no  further  action  has  been  taken  or  which  have  been  withheld  for more than one month along with the details and the names thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS (SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (g): A  Statement  showing  the  Sanctioned  Strength,  Working  Strength  and Vacancies  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  High  Courts  as  on  12.07.2018,    is  at Annexure-I. A  Statement  showing  the  Sanctioned  Strength,  Working  Strength  and Vacancies of  Judicial  Officers  in  District  and  Subordinate  Courts  under  all  the  High Courts, as on 31.03.2018  is at Annexure-II.

A Statement showing pending cases, High Court-wise, is at Annexure-III, and Statement showing pending cases in District and Subordinate Courts in various states is at Annexure-IV.

The  proposals  received  from  the  various  High  Courts  for  appointment  as Judges  of  the  High  Court  are  examined  and  acted  upon  in  accordance  with  the Memorandum of Procedure. Filling up of vacancies in the Supreme Court and High Courts  is  a  continuous  and  collaborative  process,  between  the  Executive  and  the Judiciary. It requires consultation and approval from various Constitutional Authorities. Initiation of proposal for appointment of Judges in the Supreme Court vests with the Chief Justice of India, while initiation of proposals for appointment of Judges in High Courts  vests  with  the  Chief    Justice    of    the      concerned      High  Court.  As  per  the existing  Memorandum  of  Procedure  for  appointment  of  Judge  of  High  Courts,  the Chief  Justice  of  the  High  Court  is  required  to  initiate  the  proposals  for  filling  up  of vacancies of a Judge in a High Court six months prior to the occurrence of vacancies.

While  every  effort  is  made  to  fill  up  the  existing  vacancies  expeditiously, vacancies  of  Judges  in  High  Courts  do  keep  on  arising  on  account  of  retirement, resignation or elevation of Judges and also due to increase in the strength of Judges.

As per the Constitutional framework, the selection and appointment of judges in subordinate courts is the responsibility of the High Courts and State Governments concerned.  In  so  far  as  recruitment  of  judicial  officers  in  the  States  is  concerned, respective  High  Courts  do  it  in  certain  States,  whereas  in  other  States,  the  High Courts do it in consultation with the State Public Service Commissions.

In  pursuance  of  resolution  passed  in  the  Chief  Justices'  Conference  held  in April, 2015, all 24 High Courts have set up Arrears Committees to clear the backlog of pending cases. The Arrears Committees have chalked out Action Plans to reduce pendencies in their respective jurisdictions. The Supreme Court has also constituted an Arrears Committee to formulate steps to reduce pendency of cases in High Courts and District Courts.  At district level, the District Judge holds monthly meeting of all judicial officers to    monitor    progress   made in reduction of long pending cases. Further, the Central Government has taken several steps to facilitate  faster disposal of cases by the judiciary. The Government has set up a National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms to achieve this objective. The Mission has undertaken several steps to improve the working conditions and infrastructure of the courts which plays an important role in reduction of arrears and pendency in judicial administration. These initiatives, include improving infrastructure for courts, leveraging information, communication  and  technology  (ICT)  for  better  justice delivery,  and  focus  on  filling  up  of  vacant  positions  in  High  Courts  and  Supreme Court.

*******

Annexure-I

Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question  No. 227 to be answered on 18.07.2018 regarding 'Vacancies in Judiciary'.

Sanctioned  /  Working  Strength  and  Vacancies  of  Supreme  Court  and High Courts

(As on 12.07.2018)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the Court          | Sanctioned Strength   | Working Strength   | Vacancies as per Sanctioned Strength   |
|-----------|----------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|----------------------------------------|
| A         | Supreme Court of India     | 31                    | 22                 | 09                                     |
| B         | High Court                 |                       |                    |                                        |
| 1         | Allahabad                  | 160                   | 91                 | 69                                     |
| 2         | Telangana & Andhra Pradesh | 61                    | 29                 | 32                                     |
| 3         | Bombay                     | 94                    | 69                 | 25                                     |
| 4         | Calcutta                   | 72                    | 37                 | 35                                     |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh               | 22                    | 16                 | 06                                     |
| 6         | Delhi                      | 60                    | 35                 | 25                                     |
| 7         | Gauhati                    | 24                    | 17                 | 07                                     |
| 8         | Gujarat                    | 52                    | 29                 | 23                                     |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh           | 13                    | 08                 | 05                                     |
| 10        | Jammu & Kashmir            | 17                    | 08                 | 09                                     |
| 11        | Jharkhand                  | 25                    | 17                 | 08                                     |
| 12        | Karnataka                  | 62                    | 30                 | 32                                     |
| 13        | Kerala                     | 47                    | 35                 | 12                                     |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh             | 53                    | 35                 | 18                                     |
| 15        | Madras                     | 75                    | 63                 | 12                                     |
| 16        | Manipur                    | 05                    | 03                 | 02                                     |
| 17        | Meghalaya                  | 04                    | 02                 | 02                                     |
| 18        | Orissa                     | 27                    | 14                 | 13                                     |
| 19        | Patna                      | 53                    | 30                 | 23                                     |
| 20        | Punjab& Haryana            | 85                    | 50                 | 35                                     |
| 21        | Rajasthan                  | 50                    | 31                 | 19                                     |
| 22        | Sikkim                     | 03                    | 02                 | 01                                     |
| 23        | Tripura                    | 04                    | 03                 | 01                                     |
| 24        | Uttarakhand                | 11                    | 08                 | 03                                     |
| Total     | Total                      | 1079                  | 662                | 417                                    |

Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question  No. 227 to be answered on 18.07.2018 regarding 'Vacancies in Judiciary'.

## Sanctioned  /  Working  Strength  and  Vacancies  of  Judicial  Officers  in District and Subordinate Courts.

(As  on 31.03.2018)

| Sr. No.   | Name of State / UT                      |   Sanctioned Strength |   Working Strength |   Vacancy |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh and Telangana            |                   987 |                912 |        75 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh                       |                    28 |                 17 |        11 |
| 3         | Assam                                   |                   430 |                350 |        80 |
| 4         | Bihar                                   |                  1837 |               1153 |       684 |
| 5         | Chandigarh                              |                    30 |                 30 |         0 |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh                            |                   399 |                376 |        23 |
| 7         | Dadra & Nagar Haveili and Daman and Diu |                     7 |                  6 |         1 |
| 8         | Delhi                                   |                   799 |                518 |       281 |
| 9         | Goa                                     |                    55 |                 44 |        11 |
| 10        | Gujarat                                 |                  1496 |               1116 |       380 |
| 11        | Haryana                                 |                   645 |                496 |       149 |
| 12        | Himachal Pradesh                        |                   159 |                148 |        11 |
| 13        | Jammu & Kashmir                         |                   261 |                224 |        37 |
| 14        | Jharkhand                               |                   672 |                462 |       210 |
| 15        | Karnataka                               |                  1303 |               1061 |       242 |
| 16        | Kerala                                  |                   536 |                479 |        57 |
| 17        | Lakshadweep                             |                     3 |                  2 |         1 |
| 18        | Madhya Pradesh                          |                  2021 |               1315 |       706 |
| 19        | Maharashtra                             |                  2097 |               1914 |       183 |
| 20        | Manipur                                 |                    50 |                 39 |        11 |
| 21        | Meghalaya                               |                    97 |                 39 |        58 |
| 22        | Mizoram                                 |                    67 |                 46 |        21 |
| 23        | Nagaland                                |                    33 |                 21 |        12 |
| 24        | Orissa                                  |                   862 |                649 |       213 |
| 25        | Puducherry                              |                    26 |                 12 |        14 |
| 26        | Punjab                                  |                   674 |                538 |       136 |
| 27        | Rajasthan                               |                  1237 |               1121 |       116 |
| 28        | Sikkim                                  |                    23 |                 19 |         4 |
| 29        | Tamilnadu                               |                  1121 |                913 |       208 |
| 30        | Tripura                                 |                   107 |                 75 |        32 |
| 31        | Uttar Pradesh                           |                  3224 |               1864 |      1360 |
| 32        | Uttarakhand                             |                   292 |                231 |        61 |
| 33        | West Bengal & A & N                     |                   967 |                919 |        48 |
|           | Total                                   |                 22545 |              17109 |      5436 |

## Annexure-III

Statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question  No. 227 to be answered on 18.07.2018. Regarding Vacancies in Judiciary.

High Court-wise Pending Cases.

| High Court Name                       |   Civil |   Criminal |   Writs |   Total |
|---------------------------------------|---------|------------|---------|---------|
| ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT                  |  155175 |     308030 |  248290 |  711495 |
| CALCUTTA HIGH COURT                   |  107960 |      42241 |   84634 |  234835 |
| GAUHATI HIGH COURT                    |   13926 |       7353 |   15932 |   37211 |
| HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY                  |  302656 |      50704 |  110714 |  464074 |
| HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH            |   18009 |      24392 |   20503 |   62904 |
| HIGH COURT OF DELHI                   |   30400 |      19786 |   22688 |   72874 |
| HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT                 |   43069 |      32527 |   34113 |  109709 |
| HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH        |   25772 |       6386 |    5842 |   38000 |
| HIGH COURT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR       |   76638 |       8452 |       0 |   85090 |
| HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND               |   15206 |      43929 |   30041 |   89176 |
| HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT HYDERABAD |  131580 |      50826 |  171229 |  353635 |
| HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA               |  122717 |      31806 |   69726 |  224249 |
| HIGH COURT OF KERALA                  |   81407 |      39947 |   68049 |  189403 |
| HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH          |  108333 |     122175 |   91696 |  322204 |
| HIGH COURT OF MANIPUR                 |   14191 |       1551 |       0 |   15742 |
| HIGH COURT OF MEGHALAYA               |     321 |         51 |     653 |    1025 |
| HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA      |  201384 |     125375 |   75199 |  401958 |
| HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN               |   86479 |      72261 |  106138 |  264878 |
| HIGH COURT OF SIKKIM                  |      60 |         66 |     117 |     243 |
| HIGH COURT OF TRIPURA                 |     954 |        461 |    1625 |    3040 |
| HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND             |    9979 |      10494 |   14854 |   35327 |
| MADRAS HIGH COURT                     |  128196 |      42105 |  144044 |  314345 |
| ORISSA HIGH COURT                     |   42854 |      41782 |   83354 |  167990 |
| PATNA HIGH COURT                      |   30708 |      58045 |   61602 |  150355 |
| Total Pending Cases                   | 1747974 |    1140745 | 1461043 | 4349762 |

Statement  referred  to  in  reply  to  Parts  (a)  to  (g)  of  Lok  Sabha Unstarred Question  No. 227 to be answered on 18.07.2018 regarding 'Vacancies in Judiciary'.

State -wise Pending Cases in the District and Subordinate Courts.

| State               |   Civil |   Criminal |    Total |
|---------------------|---------|------------|----------|
| ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR |    3296 |       7889 |    11185 |
| ANDHRA PRADESH      |  289785 |     231904 |   521689 |
| ASSAM               |   61406 |     211692 |   273098 |
| BIHAR               |  246201 |    1498919 |  1745120 |
| CHANDIGARH          |   16795 |      25346 |    42141 |
| CHHATTISGARH        |   57721 |     210780 |   268501 |
| DELHI               |  187070 |     495472 |   682542 |
| DIU AND DAMAN       |    1031 |        861 |     1892 |
| DNH AT SILVASA      |    1467 |       2102 |     3569 |
| GOA                 |   21696 |      20948 |    42644 |
| GUJARAT             |  509230 |    1091859 |  1601089 |
| HARYANA             |  273954 |     399123 |   673077 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH    |  113572 |     127804 |   241376 |
| JAMMU AND KASHMIR   |   62580 |      74296 |   136876 |
| JHARKHAND           |   57597 |     290301 |   347898 |
| KARNATAKA           |  690232 |     780757 |  1470989 |
| KERALA              |  387455 |     869319 |  1256774 |
| MADHYA PRADESH      |  315837 |    1075014 |  1390851 |
| MAHARASHTRA         | 1148280 |    2281699 |  3429979 |
| MANIPUR             |    5814 |       4203 |    10017 |
| MEGHALAYA           |    2047 |       4896 |     6943 |
| MIZORAM             |    1570 |       2464 |     4034 |
| ORISSA              |  248021 |     826421 |  1074442 |
| PUNJAB              |  257525 |     351267 |   608792 |
| RAJASTHAN           |  402686 |    1066311 |  1468997 |
| SIKKIM              |     599 |        865 |     1464 |
| TAMIL NADU          |  601619 |     464346 |  1065965 |
| TELANGANA           |  216083 |     274496 |   490579 |
| TRIPURA             |    7902 |      16301 |    24203 |
| UTTAR PRADESH       | 1616710 |    5037700 |  6654410 |
| UTTARAKHAND         |   33188 |     190940 |   224128 |
| WEST BENGAL         |  483791 |    1386349 |  1870140 |
| Total Pending Cases | 8322760 |   19322644 | 27645404 |