Lok Sabha Question No. 2116 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-29
Subject: Sanctioned Posts in Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeshwara, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Alok Kumar Suman, Debasree Chaudhuri, Ram Kripal Yadav, Kuruva Gorantla Madhav, Sanjay Seth, Ravi Kishan Shukla, Subrata Pathak, Sangeeta Azad, Midhun Reddy, Naba (Hira) Kumar Sarania, Shrirang Appa Barne, K. Subbarayan, Balashowry Vallabbhaneni, Sudheer Gupta, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Ravindra Kushawaha, Chandra Prakash Joshi, Rodmal Nagar, Prataprao  Jadhav, Kaushalendra Kumar, D.K. Suresh, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Pawan Rajenimbalkar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 29 TH JULY, 2022

## SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS

## 2116. SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWAR:

DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

- SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD:
- SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

SHRI SANJAY SETH:

SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLA BHANENI:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

- SHRI RODMAL NAGAR:
- SHRI RAVI KISHAN:

SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV:

SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

- SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK:

- SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY:

SHRI SUBBARAYAN K.:

MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV:

SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA:

- SHRI D.K.SURESH:
- SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

- SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAWAN RAJENI:

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

- (a) whether the Government has assessed the reasons for huge pendency of cases in various  courts,  if  so,  the  details  and  the  outcome  thereof  along  with  the  number  of cases pending in various courts, court-wise;
- (b) the details of sanctioned, filled and vacant posts of Judges in Supreme Court and High Courts and subordinate courts in the country along with the SC/ST/ OBC and women judges therein, State, court and category-wise;
- (c) the average duration of vacancy in these posts and its assessed impact on delivery of justice;
- (d) whether the Government has identified candidates and expedited the process to fill these posts to ensure that the pending cases are settled/disposed off at the earliest; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  the  facts  that  poor  people  have  negligible access to good advocates and if so, the details thereof and the remedial measures taken to provide them cheap and affordable justice system; and
- (f)  the  efforts  made  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  overall  judicial  process  for timely justice in the country at par with other countries known for earlier justice in the world ?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a)& (f): The  number  of  cases  pending  in  Supreme  Court  of  India,  High  Courts  and District & Subordinate Courts in the country is as under:-

|   Sl. No. | Name of Court                | Pendency as on             |
|-----------|------------------------------|----------------------------|
|         1 | Supreme Court of India       | 72,062 (01.07.2022)*       |
|         2 | High Courts                  | 59,55,873 (25.07.2022)**   |
|         3 | District &Subordinate Courts | 4,23,45,577 (25.07.2022)** |

Source *Website of Supreme Court of India.

**National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

Disposal of pending cases in courts is within the domain of the judiciary.  No time frame has been prescribed for disposal of various kinds of cases by the respective courts. Government has no direct role in disposal of cases in courts. Timely disposal of cases in courts depends on several factors which, inter-alia, include availability of adequate number of judges and judicial officers, supporting court staff and physical infrastructure, complexity of  facts  involved,  nature  of  evidence, co-operation  of  stake holders viz.  bar,  investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures. There are several  factors  which  may  lead  to  delay  in  disposal  of  cases.    These,  inter-alia,  include vacancies of judges, frequent adjournments and lack of adequate arrangement to monitor, track  and bunch cases for hearing. The Central Government is fully committed to speedy disposal of cases in accordance with Article 21 of the Constitution and reducing pendency. The Government has taken several initiatives to provide an ecosystem for faster disposal of cases by the judiciary.

National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms was set up in August, 2011 with the twin objectives of increasing access by reducing delays and arrears in the system and  enhancing  accountability  through  structural  changes  and  by  setting  performance standards  and  capacities.    The  Mission  has  been  pursuing  a  co-ordinated  approach  for phased  liquidation  of  arrears  and  pendency  in  judicial  administration,  which, inter-alia, involves  better  infrastructure  for  courts  including  computerization,  increase  in  strength  of subordinate  judiciary,  policy  and  legislative  measures  in  the  areas  prone  to  excessive litigation,  re-engineering  of  court  procedure  for  quick  disposal  of  cases  and  emphasis  on human resource development.

The  major  steps  taken  during  the  last  eight  years  under  various  initiatives  are  as follows:

## (i) Improving  infrastructure  for  Judicial  Officers  of  District  and  Subordinate

Courts: As  on  date,  Rs.  9013.21  crores  have  been  released  since  the  inception  of  the Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  for  Development  of  Infrastructure  Facilities  for Judiciary  in  1993-94.  The  number  of  court  halls  has  increased  from  15,818  as  on 30.06.2014 to 20,993 as on 30.06.2022 and number of residential units has increased from 10,211 as on 30.06.2014 to 18,502 as on 30.06.2022 under this scheme. In addition, 2,777

court halls and 1,659 residential units are under construction as informed by various High Courts. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary has been extended till 2025-26 at a total cost of Rs. 9,000 crore, out of which central share will be Rs. 5,307 crore. Besides, construction of Court Halls and Residential Units,  three  new  components,  i.e.  construction  of  Lawyer's  Halls,  Toilet  Complexes  and Digital Computer Rooms have now been included.

## (ii) Leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for improved

justice delivery: Government has been implementing the e-Courts Mission Mode Project throughout  the  country  for  information  and  communication  technology  enablement  of district and subordinate courts. Number of computerized District & Subordinate courts has increased  to  18,735  so  far.  WAN  connectivity  has  been  provided  to  99.3%  of  court complexes.  New  and  user-friendly  version  of  Case  Information  Software  has  been developed  and  deployed  at  all  the  computerized  District  and  Subordinate  Courts.    All stakeholders including judicial officers can access information relating to judicial proceedings/decisions of computerized District & Subordinate Courts and High Courts on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). As on 04.07.2022, litigants can access case status of  over  20.86  crore  cases  and  18.02  crore  order/judgments  pertaining  to  these  courts. eCourts services such as details of case registration, cause list, case status, daily orders & final judgments are available to litigants and advocates through eCourts web portal, Judicial Service Centres (JSC) in all computerized courts, eCourts Mobile App, email service, SMS push & pull services. Video Conferencing facility has been enabled between 3,240 court complexes and 1,272 corresponding jails. With a view to handle the COVID- 19 challenges better  and  to  make  the  transition  to  virtual  hearings  smoother,  500  e-SewaKendras  have been set up at court complexes to facilitate lawyers and litigants needing assistance ranging from  case  status,  getting  judgments/orders,    court/case  related  information  and  efiling facilities. Rs. 5.01 crore has been allocated for providing equipment in video conferencing cabins in various court complexes to facilitate virtual hearings. Rs. 12.12 crore has been allocated for 1,732 Help desk counters for efiling in various court complexes.

Twenty virtual courts have been set up in  16 States/UTs viz. Delhi (2), Haryana, Tamil  Nadu,  Karnataka,  Kerala  (2),  Maharashtra  (2),  Assam,  Chhattisgarh,  Jammu  & Kashmir  (2),  Uttar  Pradesh,  Odisha,  Meghalaya,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Madhya  Pradesh, Tripura  and  West  Bengal  to  try  traffic  offences.  As  on  03.03.2022,  these  courts  have handled more than 1.69 crore cases and realized more than Rs. 271.48 crore in fines.

Video  conferencing  emerged  as  the  mainstay  of  the  courts  during  the  Covid lockdown period as physical hearings and normal court proceedings in the congregational mode  were  not  possible. Since Covid  lockdown  started, the District courts heard 1,28,76,549  cases  while  the  High  Court  heard  63,76,561  cases  (totalling  1.92  crore)  till 30.04.2022 using video conferencing. The Supreme Court had 2,61,338 hearings since the lockdown period upto13.06.2022.

## (iii) Filling up of vacant positions in Supreme Court, High Courts and District and

Subordinate  Courts: From  01.05.2014  to  15.07.2022,  46  judges  were  appointed  in Supreme  Court.  769  new  judges  were  appointed  and  619  additional  judges  were  made permanent  in  the  High  Courts.  Sanctioned  strength  of  judges  of  High  Courts  has  been increased from 906 in May, 2014 to 1,108 currently. Sanctioned and working strength of judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts has increased as follows:

| As on      | Sanctioned Strength   | Working Strength   |
|------------|-----------------------|--------------------|
| 31.12.2013 | 19,518                | 15,115             |
| 25.07.2022 | 24,631                | 19,288             |

However, filling up of vacancies in Subordinate judiciary falls within the domain of the State Governments and High Courts concerned.

(iv) Reduction  in  Pendency  through  /  follow  up  by  Arrears  Committees: In pursuance of Resolution passed in Chief Justices' Conference held in April, 2015, Arrears Committees have  been  set  up  in  High  Courts  to  clear  cases  pending  for  more  than  five years.  Arrears Committees have been set up under District Judges too.  Arrears Committee has been constituted in the Supreme Court to formulate steps to reduce pendency of cases in High Courts and District Courts. In the past, Minister of Law & Justice has taken up the matter with Chief Justices of High Courts and Chief Ministers drawing their attention to cases pending for more than five years and to take up pendency reduction campaign. The Department  has  developed  an  online  portal  for  reporting  by  all  High  Courts  on  the compliance of Arrears Eradication Scheme guidelines of the Malimath Committee Report.

(v) Emphasis on Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR): Commercial Courts Act, 2015 (as  amended  on  20 th August,  2018)  stipulates  mandatory  pre-institution  mediation  and settlement  of  commercial  disputes.  Amendment  to  the  Arbitration  and  Conciliation  Act, 1996  has  been  made  by  the  Arbitration  and  Conciliation  (Amendment)  Act  2015  for expediting the speedy resolution of disputes by prescribing timelines.

(vi) Initiatives to Fast Track  Special Type  of Cases: The Fourteenth Finance Commission endorsed the proposal of the Government to strengthen the judicial system in States  which  included,  inter-alia,  establishing  Fast  Track  Courts  for  cases  of  heinous crimes; cases  involving  senior  citizens, women,  children  etc.,  and  urged  the  State Governments  to  use  the  additional  fiscal  space  provided  in  the  form  of  enhanced  tax devolution form 32% to 42% to meet such requirements. As on 31.5.2022,  892 Fast Track Courts are functional for heinous crimes, crimes against women and children etc. To fast track criminal cases involving elected MPs / MLAs, ten (10) Special Courts are functional in nine (9) States/UTs (1 each in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and 2 in NCT of Delhi). Further, Government has approved a scheme for setting up 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs)

across the country for expeditious disposal of pending cases of Rape under IPC and crimes under POCSO Act. Rs.140 crore was released in the financial year 2019-20,Rs. 160 crore has  been  released  during  the  financial  year  2020-21  and  Rs.  134.557  crore  has  been released  during  the  financial  year  2021-22  for  the  scheme.  728  FTSC  are  functional including 408 exclusive POCSO Courts, which disposed 1,02,344 cases as on 30.6.2022.

(vii) In addition, to reduce pendency and unclogging of the courts, the Government has recently  amended various laws like the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018, the  Commercial  Courts  (Amendment)  Act,  2018,  the  Specific  Relief  (Amendment)  Act, 2018,  the  Arbitration  and  Conciliation  (Amendment)  Act,  2019  and  the  Criminal  Laws (Amendment) Act, 2018.

(b): The details of sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancy position of Judges in Supreme Court of India, High Courts and District & Subordinate Courts in the country is at Annexure-I and Annexure-II respectively.

Appointment  of  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  High  Courts  is  made  under Articles 124, 127 and 224 of the Constitution of India, which do not provide reservation for any caste or class of persons. Hence no caste/category wise data is maintained centrally.However, the details of working strength of women judges in Supreme Court of India and High Courts is at Annexure-III . The details of working strength of SC/ST/OBC and women judges in District & Subordinate Courts is at Annexure-IV.

(c)& (d): As per the existing Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges of High  Courts,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  High  Court  is  required  to  initiate  the  proposal  for filling  up  of  vacancies  of  a Judge in a High Court six months prior to the occurrence of vacancies.  Government  appoints  only  those  persons  as  Judges  of  High  Courts  who  are recommended by Supreme Court Collegium (SCC).

Filling  up  of  vacancies  in  the  High  Courts  is  a  continuous,  integrated  and collaborative process between the Executive and the Judiciary. It requires consultation and approval  from  various  Constitutional  Authorities  both  at  the  State  and  Centre  level.  At regular  intervals,  Government  receives  names  recommended  by  the  Supreme  Court Collegium  for  appointment  as  Judges  in  various  High  Courts,  which  are  processed  for necessary approval as per the provisions of Memorandum of Procedure. 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.

Under Article 235 of the Constitution of India, the administrative control over the members of district and subordinate judiciary in the States vest with the concerned High Court.  Further,  in  exercise  of  powers  conferred  under  proviso  to  Article  309  read  with Articles 233 and 234 of the constitution, the respective State Government, in consultation with the High Court, frames the Rules and Regulations regarding the issue of appointment, promotion,  reservations  and  retirement  of  Judicial  Officers  in  the  State  Judicial  Service. Hence, in so  far  as  recruitment  of  judicial  officers  in  the  States  is  concerned,  respective High Courts do it in certain States, whereas the High Courts do it in consultation with the State Public Service Commissions in other States.

The Union Government does not have a role under the Constitution in the selection and appointment of judicial officers in District/ subordinate judiciary. The Supreme Court, in its orders of 04 th January, 2007 in Malik Mazhar case, has devised a process and time frame  to  be  followed  for  the  filling  up  of  vacancies  in  subordinate  judiciary  which stipulates  that  the  process  for  recruitment  of  judges  in  the  subordinate  courts  would commence on 31st March of a calendar year and end by 31st October of the same year. The Supreme Court has permitted State Governments / High Courts for variations in the time schedule  in  case  of  any  difficulty  based  on  the  peculiar  geographical  and  climatic conditions in the State or other relevant conditions.

Further, in compliance of the above directions of the Supreme Court, Department of Justice forwarded a copy of the Malik Mazhar judgement to Registrars General of all High Courts  for  necessary  action.  Department  of  Justice  is  writing  from  time  to  time  to Registrars General of all High Courts to expedite the filling up of vacancies in subordinate judiciary mandated by Malik Mazhar case.

(e): Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted in 1987 to give a statutory base to legal aid  programmes  throughout  the  country  on  a  uniform  pattern.  This  Act  was  finally enforced on 9th of November, 1995 and National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted on 5thDecember, 1995.

The  Legal  Services  Authorities  have  been  constituted  at  National  level  to  Taluk level to provide free and competent Legal Services to the weaker sections and all eligible persons.    The  Legal  Services  Authorities  empanel  lawyers  for  providing  legal  services such  as  legal  representation,  legal  advice,  consultation,  drafting  and  conveyancing  etc. The  remuneration  to  such  lawyers  working  as  Panel  lawyer,  legal  aid  lawyer,  Retainer lawyer or Remand lawyer is paid out of the Grant provided by the Government.

The details of the number of persons benefited through legal aid servicesduring the year 2021-22 and the current financial year 2022-23 (upto June, 22) State/UT wise is at Annexure-V .

Some of the lawyers also render their valuable services on pro-bono basis, meaning thereby they are not taking any remuneration or professional fee from the Legal Services Authorities.

Many SLSAs have taken initiative to engage  lawyers working on pro-bono basis. As  on  December,  2020,  3861  of  Pro-bono  lawyers  were  engaged  in  Legal  Services Institutions and 2130 number of cases were dealt by these pro bono lawyers during period April - December, 2020.

As on December, 2021, 5659 number of Pro-bono lawyers have been engaged in Legal Services Institutions and 3187 number of cases have been dealt by these pro bono lawyers during the year 2021.

The following steps have been taken by the Legal Services Authorities to ensure that the poor and marginalized sections of the society get quality legal aid:-

1. The  legal  practitioner  having  minimum  3  year  experience  at  the  Bar  are empanelled as Panel Lawyers.
2. 31400  Lawyers  having  more  than  10  years  practice  experience  have  been empanelled as Panel Lawyers.
3. The  panel  prepared  for  three  years  is  also  reviewed  and  updated  periodically, keeping in view the performance of the panel lawyers.
4. Monitoring and Mentoring Committees have been setup for close monitoring of the Court based legal services and also to guide and advise the panel lawyers.
5. NALSA has prepared three training modules for panel lawyers.
6. NALSA has created a web portal to file Applications through online for getting legal assistance.  The applicant may file the applications either directly to State Legal  Services  Authority/District  Legal  Services  Authority/High  Court  Legal Services Committee/Supreme Court Legal Services Committee from where the applicant requires legal assistance. The  applicant  has  the option  to file application directly to NALSA and in that case the said application is transferred to the concerned Legal Services Institutions for appropriate action i.e. to provide legal  assistance.    Thereafter,  the  concern  Legal  Services  Institutions  has  to update the action taken report.
7. NALSA has launched Legal Services Mobile App for Android and IOS version on 8th August, 2021 and on 09th November, 2021 respectively. It will facilitate following functions:
8.  Any  citizen  may  apply  for  seeking  legal  assistance,  legal  advice  and  for redressal of other grievances through Mobile App.
9.  Any citizen may track his application submitted for legal aid & advice and other grievances.
10.  Reminder can be sent and clarifications can be sought through Mobile App.
11.  Any victim of crime or applicant can apply for victim compensation through the Mobile App.
12.  Application for pre-institution mediation in commercial matters or application for mediation may be filed through this Mobile App.

Besides  above,  Frequently  Asked  Questions  (FAQs),  Helpline  assistance  and assistance through e-mail are also provided in the Mobile App.

In  addition,the  Government  of  India  is  implementing  Tele-Law:  Reaching  the Unreached  to  provide  online  legal  advice  and  consultation  through  a  pool  of  dedicated lawyers. The service is free of cost for all citizens and is accessible through Citizens TeleLaw Mobile App (available in Android and IOS version) and is being made available via video  conferencing  and  telephone  facilities  available  across  Common  Service  Centres (CSCs) situated in 1 Lakh Gram Panchayats in 755 districts (including 112 Aspirational districts)  of  36  States  and  UTs.At  present  854  Panel  Lawyers  are  providing  Tele-Law service.

Nyaya Bandhu(Pro Bono legal Services) initiative of the Government of India aims to connect the Lawyers who have registered in the Nyaya Bandhu mobile Application to volunteer their time and services in providing court representation to the needy Applicants. The service is free especially for those who are entitled for free legal aid under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. At present, 4410 Lawyers have registered for pro bono services under the Nyaya Bandhu initiative.

*******

Annexure-I

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116 FOR ANSWER ON 29.07.2022 REGARDING 'SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS'.

Statement showing Sanctioned Strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judgesin the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts.(As on 25.07.2022)

| A.   | Supreme Court    | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Working strength 32   | Working strength 32   | Working strength 32   | Vacancies 2   | Vacancies 2   | Vacancies 2   |
|------|------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| B.   | High Court       | Pmt.                  | Addl                  | Total                 | Pmt.                  | Addl                  | Total                 | Pmt.          | Addl          | Total         |
| 1    | Allahabad        | 119                   | 41                    | 160                   | 79                    | 12                    | 91                    | 40            | 29            | 69            |
| 2    | Andhra Pradesh   | 28                    | 9                     | 37                    | 24                    | 0                     | 24                    | 4             | 9             | 13            |
| 3    | Bombay           | 71                    | 23                    | 94                    | 45                    | 18                    | 63                    | 26            | 5             | 31            |
| 4    | Calcutta         | 54                    | 18                    | 72                    | 36                    | 10                    | 46                    | 18            | 8             | 26            |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh     | 17                    | 5                     | 22                    | 8                     | 4                     | 12                    | 9             | 1             | 10            |
| 6    | Delhi            | 46                    | 14                    | 60                    | 46                    | 1                     | 47                    | 0             | 13            | 13            |
| 7    | Gauhati          | 18                    | 6                     | 24                    | 16                    | 6                     | 22                    | 2             | 0             | 2             |
| 8    | Gujarat          | 39                    | 13                    | 52                    | 28                    | 0                     | 28                    | 11            | 13            | 24            |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh | 13                    | 4                     | 17                    | 9                     | 0                     | 9                     | 4             | 4             | 8             |
| 10   | J &Kand Ladakh   | 13                    | 4                     | 17                    | 12                    | 3                     | 15                    | 1             | 1             | 2             |
| 11   | Jharkhand        | 20                    | 5                     | 25                    | 20                    | 1                     | 21                    | 0             | 4             | 4             |
| 12   | Karnataka        | 47                    | 15                    | 62                    | 37                    | 7                     | 44                    | 10            | 8             | 18            |
| 13   | Kerala           | 35                    | 12                    | 47                    | 28                    | 9                     | 37                    | 7             | 3             | 10            |
| 14   | Madhya Pradesh   | 39                    | 14                    | 53                    | 33                    | 0                     | 33                    | 6             | 14            | 20            |
| 15   | Madras           | 56                    | 19                    | 75                    | 47                    | 10                    | 57                    | 9             | 9             | 18            |
| 16   | Manipur          | 4                     | 1                     | 5                     | 3                     | 0                     | 3                     | 1             | 1             | 2             |
| 17   | Meghalaya        | 3                     | 1                     | 4                     | 3                     | 0                     | 3                     | 0             | 1             | 1             |
| 18   | Orissa           | 24                    | 9                     | 33                    | 22                    | 0                     | 22                    | 2             | 9             | 11            |
| 19   | Patna            | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 37                    | 0                     | 37                    | 3             | 13            | 16            |
| 20   | Punjab &Haryana  | 64                    | 21                    | 85                    | 40                    | 6                     | 46                    | 24            | 15            | 39            |
| 21   | Rajasthan        | 38                    | 12                    | 50                    | 28                    | 0                     | 28                    | 10            | 12            | 22            |
| 22   | Sikkim           | 3                     | 0                     | 3                     | 3                     | 0                     | 3                     | 0             | 0             | 0             |
| 23   | Telangana        | 32                    | 10                    | 42                    | 27                    | 0                     | 27                    | 5             | 10            | 15            |
| 24   | Tripura          | 4                     | 1                     | 5                     | 4                     | 0                     | 4                     | 0             | 1             | 1             |
| 25   | Uttarakhand      | 9                     | 2                     | 11                    | 7                     | 0                     | 7                     | 2             | 2             | 4             |
|      | Total (B)        | 836                   | 272                   | 1108                  | 642                   | 87                    | 729                   | 194           | 185           | 379           |

## Annexure-II

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116 FOR ANSWER ON 29.07.2022 REGARDING 'SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS'.

Statement showing Sanctioned Strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judgesin the District & Subordinate Courts, State-wise.           (As on 25.07.2022)

| Sl. No   | States &UTs         |   Sanctioned Strength |   Working Strength |   Vacancy |
|----------|---------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar |                     0 |                 13 |       -13 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      |                   607 |                483 |       124 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   |                    41 |                 35 |         6 |
| 4        | Assam               |                   484 |                430 |        54 |
| 5        | Bihar               |                  1954 |               1354 |       600 |
| 6        | Chandigarh          |                    30 |                 30 |         0 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh        |                   482 |                439 |        43 |
| 8        | D &NHaveli          |                     3 |                  2 |         1 |
| 9        | Daman &Diu          |                     4 |                  4 |         0 |
| 10       | Delhi               |                   884 |                683 |       201 |
| 11       | Goa                 |                    50 |                 40 |        10 |
| 12       | Gujarat             |                  1523 |               1172 |       351 |
| 13       | Haryana             |                   772 |                471 |       301 |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh    |                   175 |                162 |        13 |
| 15       | Jammu and Kashmir   |                   314 |                236 |        78 |
| 16       | Jharkhand           |                   675 |                583 |        92 |
| 17       | Karnataka           |                  1364 |               1065 |       299 |
| 18       | Kerala              |                   569 |                478 |        91 |
| 19       | Ladakh              |                    17 |                  9 |         8 |
| 20       | Lakshadweep         |                     3 |                  2 |         1 |
| 21       | Madhya Pradesh      |                  2021 |               1539 |       482 |
| 22       | Maharashtra         |                  2190 |               1940 |       250 |
| 23       | Manipur             |                    59 |                 42 |        17 |
| 24       | Meghalaya           |                    99 |                 51 |        48 |
| 25       | Mizoram             |                    65 |                 41 |        24 |
| 26       | Nagaland            |                    34 |                 24 |        10 |
| 27       | Odisha              |                   977 |                775 |       202 |
| 28       | Puducherry          |                    26 |                 11 |        15 |
| 29       | Punjab              |                   692 |                600 |        92 |
| 30       | Rajasthan           |                  1579 |               1262 |       317 |
| 31       | Sikkim              |                    28 |                 21 |         7 |
| 32       | Tamil Nadu          |                  1329 |               1074 |       255 |
| 33       | Telangana           |                   512 |                411 |       101 |
| 34       | Tripura             |                   122 |                109 |        13 |
| 35       | Uttar Pradesh       |                  3634 |               2508 |      1126 |
| 36       | Uttarakhand         |                   299 |                271 |        28 |
| 37       | West Bengal         |                  1014 |                918 |        96 |
|          | TOTAL               |                 24631 |              19288 |      5343 |

Annexure-III STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116 FOR ANSWER ON 29.07.2022 REGARDING 'SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS'.

.

| S. No.   | Name of the Court   |    |
|----------|---------------------|----|
| A.       | Supreme Court       | 04 |
| B.       | High Court          |    |
| 1        | Allahabad           | 05 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      | 04 |
| 3        | Bombay              | 08 |
| 4        | Calcutta            | 07 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh        | 01 |
| 6        | Delhi               | 12 |
| 7        | Gauhati             | 02 |
| 8        | Gujarat             | 06 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh    | 02 |
| 10       | J &Kand Ladakh      | 02 |
| 11       | Jharkhand           | 01 |
| 12       | Karnataka           | 05 |
| 13       | Kerala              | 06 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh      | 03 |
| 15       | Madras              | 12 |
| 16       | Manipur             | 00 |
| 17       | Meghalaya           | 00 |
| 18       | Orissa              | 01 |
| 19       | Patna               | 00 |
| 20       | Punjab &Haryana     | 07 |
| 21       | Rajasthan           | 02 |
| 22       | Sikkim              | 01 |
| 23       | Telangana           | 09 |
| 24       | Tripura             | 00 |
| 25       | Uttarakhand         | 00 |
|          | Total (B)           | 96 |

## Annexure-IV

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (B) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116 FOR ANSWER ON 29.07.2022 REGARDING 'SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS'.

Statement showing the details of working strength of SC/ST/OBC and Women Judges in District & Subordinate Courts as on 25.07.2022

| Sl. No.   | States &Uts       |     |    |     |       | Civil Judge (Junior Division)   | Civil Judge (Junior Division)   | Civil Judge (Junior Division)   | Civil Judge (Junior Division)   | District Judge   | District Judge   | District Judge   | District Judge   |
|-----------|-------------------|-----|----|-----|-------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Sl. No.   | States &Uts       | SC  | ST | OBC | WOMEN | SC                              | ST                              | OBC                             | WOMEN                           | SC               | ST               | OBC              | WOMEN            |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    | 41  | 15 | 93  | 123   | 23 9                            | 45                              | 55                              | 19                              | 1                |                  | 43               | 45               |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh | 0   | 14 | 0   | 7     | 0                               | 11                              | 0                               | 4                               | 0                | 9                | 1                | 1                |
| 3         | Delhi             | 55  | 6  | 0   | 166   | 9                               | 1                               | 0                               | 20                              | 8                | 1                | 0                | 95               |
| 4         | Karnataka         | 64  | 11 | 98  | 149   | 49                              | 7                               | 135                             | 120                             | 60               | 9                | 95               | 89               |
| 5         | Puducherry        | 0   | 0  | 4   | 2     | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 0                | 0                | 4                | 3                |
| 6         | Rajasthan         | 65  | 58 | 103 | 260   | 46                              | 29                              | 119                             | 121                             | 47               | 22               | 89               | 126              |
| 7         | Tamil Nadu        | 121 | 5  | 373 | 216   | 56                              | 3                               | 227                             | 100                             | 45               | 1                | 213              | 112              |
| 8         | Nagaland          | 0   | 0  | 0   | 6     | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 2                               | 0                | 0                | 0                | 7                |
| 9         | Telangana         | 39  | 22 | 99  | 131   | 11                              | 7                               | 35                              | 36                              | 13               | 7                | 52               | 50               |
| 10        | D &NHaveli        | 0   | 0  | 1   | 0     | 0                               | 0                               | 1                               | 0                               | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                |
| 11        | Daman &Diu        | 0   | 0  | 0   | 0     | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 0                | 0                | 1                | 0                |
| 12        | Goa               | 0   | 2  | 0   | 15    | 0                               | 0                               | 1                               | 8                               | 0                | 0                | 1                | 5                |
| 13        | Maharashtra       | 140 | 2  | 266 | 346   | 43                              | 3                               | 128                             | 139                             | 44               | 2                | 106              | 112              |
| 14        | Sikkim            | 0   | 2  | 5   | 0     | 0                               | 1                               | 3                               | 0                               | 0                | 4                | 6                | 0                |
| 15        | Meghalaya         | 0   | 19 | 0   | 14    | 0                               | 14                              | 0                               | 9                               | 0                | 15               | 0                | 9                |
| 16        | Manipur           | 1   | 4  | 3   | 5     | 1                               | 5                               | 4                               | 10                              | 1                | 4                | 0                | 4                |
| 17        | Mizoram           | 0   | 16 | 0   | 13    | 0                               | 10                              | 0                               | 2                               | 0                | 15               | 0                | 6                |
| 18        | Assam             | 15  | 22 | 0   | 120   | 7                               | 16                              | 0                               | 61                              | 0                | 0                | 0                | 21               |
| 19        | Bihar             | 115 | 9  | 254 | 256   | 62                              | 5                               | 22                              | 33                              | 35               | 1                | 52               | 38               |
| 20        | Chandigarh        | 3   | 0  | 2   | 7     | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 0                               | 1                | 0                | 0                | 4                |
| 21        | Chhattisgarh      | 28  | 64 | 34  | 99    | 20                              | 31                              | 13                              | 40                              | 26               | 27               | 36               | 44               |
| 22        | Gujarat           | 55  | 1  | 31  | 104   | 50                              | 4                               | 154                             | 74                              | 10               | 0                | 40               | 50               |
| 23        | Haryana           | 38  | 0  | 35  | 70    | 26                              | 0                               | 16                              | 59                              | 22               | 0                | 17               | 52               |

| 24    | Himachal Pradesh    |   11 |   4 |    7 |   36 |   4 |   2 |    3 |   11 |   7 |   2 |    2 |    8 |
|-------|---------------------|------|-----|------|------|-----|-----|------|------|-----|-----|------|------|
| 25    | Jammu and Kashmir   |    9 |   6 |    2 |   37 |   6 |   6 |    2 |   24 |   6 |   3 |    2 |    8 |
| 26    | Kerala              |   18 |   1 |   90 |  125 |  11 |   0 |   51 |   39 |   7 |   0 |  101 |   42 |
| 27    | Ladakh              |    0 |   4 |    0 |    1 |   0 |   2 |    0 |    2 |   1 |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 28    | Lakshadweep         |    0 |   0 |    0 |    0 |   0 |   1 |    0 |    0 |   0 |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 29    | Madhya Pradesh      |  104 |  90 |  109 |  300 |  59 |  81 |   44 |  133 |  74 |  56 |  101 |  103 |
| 30    | Odisha              |   17 |   0 |   52 |  185 |   0 |   0 |    0 |  114 |   0 |   0 |    0 |   45 |
| 31    | Punjab              |   79 |   0 |   45 |  156 |  37 |   0 |   20 |   59 |  28 |   0 |   18 |   60 |
| 32    | Tripura             |    5 |   9 |    0 |   20 |   4 |   7 |    0 |   14 |   4 |   7 |    0 |    4 |
| 33    | Uttar Pradesh       |  193 |  15 |  272 |  404 | 152 |  11 |  190 |  170 | 147 |   7 |  353 |  220 |
| 34    | Uttarakhand         |   20 |   4 |   17 |   51 |  12 |   3 |   12 |   33 |  15 |   8 |   11 |   22 |
| 35    | Jharkhand           |   26 |  63 |   34 |   85 |   0 |   0 |    0 |   39 |   0 |   0 |    0 |   10 |
| 36    | Andaman and Nicobar |    0 |   0 |    0 |    0 |   0 |   0 |    0 |    0 |   0 |   0 |    0 |    0 |
| 37    | West Bengal         |    0 |   0 |    0 |  210 |   0 |   0 |    0 |   80 |   0 |   0 |    0 |   40 |
| TOTAL | TOTAL               | 1262 | 468 | 2029 | 3719 | 688 | 269 | 1225 | 1611 | 620 | 201 | 1344 | 1435 |

## Annexure-V

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (E)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2116  FOR  ANSWER  ON  29.07.2022  REGARDING 'SANCTIONED POSTS IN COURTS'.

STATEMENT SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS BENEFITED  THROUGH  LEGAL SERVICES  UNDER LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITIES  ACT,  1987    DURING  THE  FINANCIAL  YEAR  2021-22  AND  THE  CURRENT  FINANCIAL  YEAR  2022-23 (UPTO JUNE, 2022)

| S.No.                                                                                 | SLSAs                                                                                 | 2021-22                                                                               | 2022-23 (upto June,22)                                                                |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1                                                                                     | Andaman &Nicobar Islands                                                              | 79                                                                                    | 78                                                                                    |
| 2                                                                                     | Andhra Pradesh                                                                        | 6371                                                                                  | 1062                                                                                  |
| 3                                                                                     | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                     | 2657                                                                                  | 1246                                                                                  |
| 4                                                                                     | Assam                                                                                 | 110254                                                                                | 16367                                                                                 |
| 5                                                                                     | Bihar                                                                                 | 1689158                                                                               | 44589                                                                                 |
| 6                                                                                     | Chhattisgarh                                                                          | 42394                                                                                 | 11183                                                                                 |
| 7                                                                                     | Dadra& Nagar Haveli                                                                   | 27                                                                                    | 12                                                                                    |
| 8                                                                                     | Daman& Diu                                                                            | 17                                                                                    | 20                                                                                    |
| 9                                                                                     | Delhi                                                                                 | 79055                                                                                 | 23010                                                                                 |
| 10                                                                                    | Goa                                                                                   | 1101                                                                                  | 413                                                                                   |
| 11                                                                                    | Gujarat                                                                               | 21953                                                                                 | 9280                                                                                  |
| 12                                                                                    | Haryana                                                                               | 23260                                                                                 | 3451                                                                                  |
| 13                                                                                    | Himachal Pradesh                                                                      | 4806                                                                                  | 1508                                                                                  |
| 14                                                                                    | Jammu & Kashmir                                                                       | 8870                                                                                  | 2162                                                                                  |
| 15                                                                                    | Jharkhand                                                                             | 649481                                                                                | 32297                                                                                 |
| 16                                                                                    | Karnataka                                                                             | 32794                                                                                 | 6932                                                                                  |
| 17                                                                                    | Kerala                                                                                | 16895                                                                                 | 12241                                                                                 |
| 18                                                                                    | Lakshadweep                                                                           | 0                                                                                     | 0                                                                                     |
| 19                                                                                    | Madhya Pradesh                                                                        | 3343800                                                                               | 44192                                                                                 |
| 20                                                                                    | Maharashtra                                                                           | 22595                                                                                 | 281871                                                                                |
| 21                                                                                    | Manipur                                                                               | 22651                                                                                 | 6354                                                                                  |
| 22                                                                                    | Meghalaya                                                                             | 2346                                                                                  | 640                                                                                   |
| 23                                                                                    | Mizoram                                                                               | 3201                                                                                  | 1216                                                                                  |
| 24                                                                                    | Nagaland                                                                              | 7750                                                                                  | 1989                                                                                  |
| 25                                                                                    | Odisha                                                                                | 8849                                                                                  | 3169                                                                                  |
| 26                                                                                    | Puducherry                                                                            | 884                                                                                   | 152                                                                                   |
| 27                                                                                    | Punjab                                                                                | 36404                                                                                 | 6381                                                                                  |
| 28                                                                                    | Rajasthan                                                                             | 13833                                                                                 | 2891                                                                                  |
| 29                                                                                    | Sikkim                                                                                | 986                                                                                   | 351                                                                                   |
| 30                                                                                    | Tamil Nadu                                                                            | 38181                                                                                 | 11028                                                                                 |
| 31                                                                                    | Telengana                                                                             | 6712                                                                                  | 5354                                                                                  |
| 32                                                                                    | Tripura                                                                               | 2671                                                                                  | 4466                                                                                  |
| 33                                                                                    | U. T. Chandigarh                                                                      | 1781                                                                                  | 943                                                                                   |
| 34                                                                                    | Uttar Pradesh                                                                         | 132629                                                                                | 40648                                                                                 |
| 35                                                                                    | Uttarakhand                                                                           | 3775                                                                                  | 844                                                                                   |
| 36                                                                                    | West Bengal                                                                           | 29015                                                                                 | 9686                                                                                  |
| 37                                                                                    | Ladakh                                                                                | 2408                                                                                  | 202                                                                                   |
|                                                                                       | Total                                                                                 | 6369643                                                                               | 588228                                                                                |
| Note: Ladakh Legal Services Authority was constituted in the month of February, 2021. | Note: Ladakh Legal Services Authority was constituted in the month of February, 2021. | Note: Ladakh Legal Services Authority was constituted in the month of February, 2021. | Note: Ladakh Legal Services Authority was constituted in the month of February, 2021. |