Lok Sabha Question No. 1827 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-21
Subject: Pending Court Cases
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel, Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Gitaben Vajesingbhai Rathva, Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadiya, Shantanu Thakur

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1827

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, THE 21 st   SEPTEMBER, 2020

## PENDING COURT CASES

## † 1827:  SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL:

SHRI JASWANT SINGH BHABHOR:

SHRIMATI RATHVA GITABEN VAJESINGBHAI:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

SHRI SHANTANU THAKUR:

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

- (a) the number of cases pending in High Courts and Lower Courts in the country along with the details thereof;
- (b) whether there is any possibility of qualitative reduction in the number of the said pending cases, if rural courts that are set up at Panchayat level and are accorded the rights to hear cases of limited nature;
- (c) if so, whether the Government is likely to set up such courts and accord them such rights; and
- (d) if  so,  the  time by which it is likely to be set up and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE, COMMUNICATIONS AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a): Details of cases pending in High Courts and Lower Courts in the country are given in Annexure-I & Annexure-II respectively.
- (b): To provide access to justice to the citizen at their door steps and bring about reduction  in  case  pendency,  the  Central  Government  has  enacted  the  Gram

Nyayalayas  Act,  2008.    It  provides  for  establishment  of  Gram  Nyayalayas  at intermediate panchayat level. The  State Governments  are responsible for establishing Gram Nyayalayas in consultation with the respective High Courts.  As per  information  made  available  by  State  Governments  /  High  Courts,  395  Gram Nyayalayas have been notified so far by 12 States, of which 225 are operational at present. Civil and criminal cases pending before District / Session Courts or Courts subordinate  to  it  falling  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Gram  Nyayalayas  can  be transferred to Gram Nyayalayas.

(c)&(d): The  issues  affecting  operationalization  of  the  Gram  Nyayalayas  were discussed in the Conference of Chief Justices of High Courts and Chief Ministers of the States on 7 th April, 2013.  It was decided in the Conference that the State Governments  and  High  Courts  should  decide  the  question  of  establishment  of Gram  Nyayalayas  wherever  feasible,  taking  into  account  the  local  issues  and situation.

The  Central  Government  has  been  encouraging  the  States  to  set  up  Gram Nyayalayas by providing financial assistance.  As per the scheme for assistance to State  Governments  for  establishing  and  operating  Gram  Nyayalayas,  the  Central Government provides one-time assistance to States towards non-recurring expenses for setting up of Gram Nyayalayas subject to a ceiling of Rs. 18.00 lakhs per Gram Nyayalaya.  The Central Government also provides assistance towards recurring expenses for operating these Gram Nyayalayas subject to a ceiling of Rs. 3.20 lakhs per Gram Nyayalaya per year for the first three years.

The  Central  Government  has  requested  the  Chief  Ministers  of  States  and Chief Justices of High Courts for setting up of Gram Nyayalayas in the respective States.  Recently, the Registrars General of High Courts and Law / Home / Finance

Secretaries of State Governments were requested through video conferences held in January 2018, July 2018, November, 2018, 24 th September - 3 rd October, 2019 and  18 th May  -  22 nd May,  2020  to  set  up  Gram  Nyayalayas  and  seek  financial assistance for operationalising them under the Scheme mentioned above.

***

## Details of Pending Cases in the High Courts

| Sl. No   | Name of High Courts                                  |   Pending Cases (Civil ) |   Pending Cases (Criminal) |   Number of Cases pending in High Courts as on 16.09.2020 |
|----------|------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.       | Allahabad High Court                                 |                   399710 |                     346967 |                                                    746677 |
| 2.       | High Court of Bombay                                 |                   224685 |                      55242 |                                                    279927 |
| 3.       | Calcutta High Court                                  |                   222935 |                      40120 |                                                    263055 |
| 4.       | Gauhati High Court                                   |                    40166 |                      10011 |                                                     50177 |
| 5.       | High Court for the State of Telangana                |                   198908 |                      32852 |                                                    231760 |
| 6.       | High Court of Andhra Pradesh                         |                   172657 |                      30467 |                                                    203124 |
| 7.       | High Court of Chhattisgarh                           |                    45589 |                      27984 |                                                     73573 |
| 8.       | High Court of Delhi                                  |                    65419 |                      25479 |                                                     90898 |
| 9.       | High Court of Gujarat                                |                    95018 |                      47100 |                                                    142118 |
| 10.      | High Court of Himachal Pradesh                       |                    61886 |                       8941 |                                                     70827 |
| 11.      | High Court of UT of Jammu & Kashmir and UT of Ladakh |                    59510 |                       7946 |                                                     67456 |
| 12.      | High Court of Jharkhand                              |                    40316 |                      44708 |                                                     85024 |
| 13.      | High Court of Karnataka                              |                   165645 |                      32045 |                                                    197690 |
| 14.      | High Court of Kerala                                 |                   162495 |                      44616 |                                                    207111 |
| 15.      | High Court of Madhya Pradesh                         |                   232187 |                     143443 |                                                    375630 |
| 16.      | High Court of Manipur                                |                     3785 |                        385 |                                                      4170 |
| 17.      | High Court of Meghalaya                              |                     1320 |                        102 |                                                      1422 |
| 18.      | High Court of Punjab & Haryana                       |                   362372 |                     244697 |                                                    607069 |
| 19.      | High Court of Rajasthan                              |                   374582 |                     133167 |                                                    507749 |
| 20.      | High Court of Sikkim                                 |                      194 |                         46 |                                                       240 |
| 21.      | High Court of Tripura                                |                     1792 |                        335 |                                                      2127 |
| 22.      | High Court of Uttarakhand                            |                    23379 |                      14783 |                                                     38162 |
| 23.      | Madras High Court                                    |                   511362 |                      58920 |                                                    570282 |
| 24.      | Orissa High Court                                    |                   115338 |                      51136 |                                                    166474 |
| 25.      | Patna High Court                                     |                    95839 |                      74340 |                                                    170179 |
|          | Total                                                |                  3677089 |                    1475832 |                                                   5152921 |

## Annexure - I

Annexure - II Details of Pending Cases in District and Subordinate Courts

| Sl. No   | Name of States/UTs   | Pending Cases (Civil)   | Pending Cases (Criminal)   | Total Number of Cases pending in District and Subordinate Courts as on 16.09.2020   |
|----------|----------------------|-------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.       | A & N Island         | 0                       | 0                          | 0                                                                                   |
| 2.       | Andhra Pradesh       | 319224                  | 262137                     | 581361                                                                              |
| 3.       | Telangana            | 264778                  | 358207                     | 622985                                                                              |
| 4.       | Arunachal Pradesh    | ---                     | ---                        | ---                                                                                 |
| 5.       | Assam                | 76157                   | 255471                     | 331628                                                                              |
| 6.       | Bihar                | 413335                  | 2680851                    | 3094186                                                                             |
| 7.       | Chandigarh           | 19861                   | 33722                      | 53583                                                                               |
| 8.       | Chhattisgarh         | 56979                   | 228673                     | 285652                                                                              |
| 9.       | D & N Haveli         | 1547                    | 1783                       | 3330                                                                                |
| 10.      | Daman & Diu          | 1221                    | 1272                       | 2493                                                                                |
| 11.      | Delhi                | 203886                  | 702920                     | 906806                                                                              |
| 12.      | Goa                  | 22639                   | 29368                      | 52007                                                                               |
| 13.      | Gujarat              | 435216                  | 1259011                    | 1694227                                                                             |
| 14.      | Haryana              | 357183                  | 639770                     | 996953                                                                              |
| 15.      | Himachal Pradesh     | 136497                  | 247306                     | 383803                                                                              |
| 16.      | Jammu & Kashmir      | 78436                   | 117957                     | 196393                                                                              |
| 17.      | Jharkhand            | 71785                   | 337558                     | 409343                                                                              |
| 18.      | Karnataka            | 813511                  | 923496                     | 1737007                                                                             |
| 19.      | Kerala               | 450469                  | 1111490                    | 1561959                                                                             |
| 20.      | Ladakh               | 362                     | 319                        | 681                                                                                 |
| 21.      | Lakshadweep          | ---                     | ---                        | ---                                                                                 |
| 22.      | Madhya Pradesh       | 336139                  | 1188971                    | 1525110                                                                             |
| 23.      | Maharashtra          | 1292547                 | 2928871                    | 4221418                                                                             |
| 24.      | Manipur              | 6335                    | 3865                       | 10200                                                                               |
| 25.      | Meghalaya            | 2646                    | 7463                       | 10109                                                                               |
| 26.      | Mizoram              | 1915                    | 3533                       | 5448                                                                                |
| 27.      | Nagaland             | 138                     | 1207                       | 1345                                                                                |
| 28.      | Odisha               | 272666                  | 1062942                    | 1335608                                                                             |
| 29.      | Punjab               | 321582                  | 429618                     | 751200                                                                              |
| 30.      | Rajasthan            | 469267                  | 1269221                    | 1738488                                                                             |
| 31.      | Sikkim               | 537                     | 968                        | 1505                                                                                |
| 32.      | Tamil Nadu           | 653793                  | 503881                     | 1157674                                                                             |
| 33.      | Punducherry          | ---                     | ---                        | ---                                                                                 |
| 34.      | Tripura              | 8364                    | 26055                      | 34419                                                                               |
| 35.      | Uttar Pradesh        | 1794177                 | 6392233                    | 8186410                                                                             |
| 36.      | Uttarakhand          | 37856                   | 202773                     | 240629                                                                              |
| 37.      | West Bengal          | 528220                  | 1810888                    | 2339108                                                                             |
|          | Total                | 9449268                 | 25023800                   | 34473068                                                                            |

Note: Data on District and Subordinate Courts in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, and Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry are not available on the web-portal of NJDG.