Lok Sabha Question No. 1593 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-19
Subject: Vacancies in High Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: JITENDRA CHAUDHURY, RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 19.12.2018

## Vacancies in High Courts

1593. SHRI JITENDRA CHAUDHURY: SHRI RAJU SHETTY

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

- a)  the number of posts of Judges lying vacant in various benches of High  Courts  in  the  country  and  the  number  of  cases  pending  in various benches;
- b)  the time  since  when the posts are lying vacant and the reasons therefor and the time by which these posts are likely to be filled; and
- c)    the efforts being made by the Government to fill these vacancies?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): Statement  showing  vacancies  of  Judges  and  number  of  pending cases High Court-wise is annexed. :  Filling  up  of  vacancies  in  the  High  Courts  is  a  continuous and collaborative process between  the Executive and the Judiciary. It Constitutional
- (b)  and  (c) requires consultation and approval from various Authorities.

As per the existing Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges of High Courts (MoP), the Chief Justices of the High Courts are required to initiate the proposals for filling up of vacancies of Judges in their respective High Courts.  As per the existing MoP, 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 but this timeline is rarely adhered to. While every effort is made to fill up the existing vacancies expeditiously, vacancies do keep on arising on account of retirement, resignation or elevation of Judges and  also  due  to  increase  in  the  strength  of  Judges.  Hence,  the  time frame for filling up of the vacancies cannot be indicated.

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Annexure

Statement  referred  to  in  reply  to  Part(a)  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred Question No. 1593 to be answered  on 19.12.2018 regarding 'Vacancies in High Courts'.

As on 14.12.2018

| Sl. No.   | Name of High Court         |   Vacancies |   Pending Cases |
|-----------|----------------------------|-------------|-----------------|
| 1         | Allahabad                  |          51 |          721844 |
| 2         | Telangana & Andhra Pradesh |          34 |          360384 |
| 3         | Bombay                     |          23 |          464074 |
| 4         | Calcutta                   |          35 |          242635 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh               |          07 |           63013 |
| 6         | Delhi                      |          21 |           73612 |
| 7         | Gauhati                    |          05 |           40398 |
| 8         | Gujarat                    |          23 |          112913 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh           |          05 |           36084 |
| 10        | Jammu & Kashmir            |          08 |           91658 |
| 11        | Jharkhand                  |          06 |           87930 |
| 12        | Karnataka                  |          29 |          181706 |
| 13        | Kerala                     |          09 |          192633 |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh             |          18 |          330122 |
| 15        | Madras                     |          14 |          397933 |
| 16        | Manipur                    |          02 |            9167 |
| 17        | Meghalaya                  |          01 |            1028 |
| 18        | Orissa                     |          13 |          167589 |
| 19        | Patna                      |          25 |          150900 |
| 20        | Punjab& Haryana            |          30 |          393953 |
| 21        | Rajasthan                  |          25 |          738585 |
| 22        | Sikkim                     |           0 |             252 |
| 23        | Tripura                    |          01 |            2891 |
| 24        | Uttarakhand                |          02 |           55412 |
| Total     |                            |         387 |         4916716 |