Lok Sabha Question No. 4846 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Shortage of Infrastructural and Basic Facilities in Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, Margani Bharat

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4846

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 31 ST  MARCH, 2023

## Shortage of Infrastructural and Basic Facilities in Courts

4846.   SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL: SHRI MARGANI BHARAT: SHRIMATI JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT: SHRI RAM MOHAN NAIDU KINJARAPU:

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

(a) the projects that have been proposed by the Government to be undertaken by the National Judicial  Infrastructure  Authority  of  India  (NJIAI)  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme (CSS) for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary, State-wise;

- (b) the number and the percentage of district/subordinate courts that lack basic infrastructure and  facilities  such  as  court  rooms,  digital  computer  rooms,  video  conferencing  system, Libraries, water purifier for drinking water, medical facilities and separate toilets for women, etc., State-wise;
- (c) the number of subordinate courts that have been provided such facilities under the said scheme, State-wise;
- (d) the details of the funds allocated, sanctioned and utilised under the said Scheme since its inception; and
- (e) the efforts made by the Government to improve judicial infrastructure for ensuring ease of legal business and making justice accessible to persons with disabilities and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) : In  the  Conference  of  Chief  Ministers  and  Chief  Justices  held  in  New  Delhi  on 30.04.2022 the proposal for s etting up of National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI)  was  not  agreed  to  and  instead  it  was  agreed  to  form  a  Committee  for  Judicial Infrastructure at the State Level in which the Chief Minister of State and Chief Justice of the

High Court would be having their nominee and would be working in close coordination. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme  (CSS)  for Development  of Infrastructure Facilities for subordinate judiciary is being implemented by the Government of India since 1993-94 and has the provision for State Level Monitoring Committee comprising of representatives from both,  the  High  Court  and  the  State  Government  for  monitoring  the  physical  and  financial progress of the judicial infrastructure projects. The scheme takes up projects for construction of  court  buildings  and  residential  accommodation  for  the  judicial  officers  /  judges  of  the district  and  subordinate  courts  and  since  2021-22,    3  new  components  viz  construction  of lawyers halls, toilet complexes and digital computer rooms for the convenience of lawyers and litigants have been included in the scheme.

(b)  &  (c):  As  per  information  provided  by  the  States/High  Courts,  as  against  working strength  of  19,522  Judicial  Officers,  21,297court  halls  are  available.  The  Department  does not  compile  data  on  state-wise  availability  of  video  conferencing  system,  Libraries,  water purifier for drinking water, medical facilities and separate toilets for women, etc. However, as  per  the  data  compiled  by  the  Registry  of  Supreme  Court  of  India,  shared  with  this Department in 2021, 27% court rooms have computer placed on the Judge's dias with Video conferencing facility,  51  %  of  court  complexes have  a  library,  54%  court  complexes  have drinking water facility with purifiers, 5% of court complexes are equipped with basic medical facilities and 74% of court complexes have separate ladies toilets. Further, under the eCourts Phase-II, as on 31.03.2023, total number of 18,735 District & Subordinate courts have been provided  computers,  2976/2992  (99.4%)  court  complexes  have  been  connected  to  eCourts Wide Area Network (WAN). The detailed break-up of courts having digital computers has been attached in Annexure.

(d)  &  (e):    Under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  for  Development  of  Judicial Infrastructure, central share of funds are released in prescribed ratio to the States/UTs which is  60:40  (Centre  :  States)  for  all  States,  except  8  NER  States  and  2  Himalayan  States (Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh) where the ratio is 90:10 and in case of Union Territories, no state share  is involved. Till date, central share of Rs. 9815.09 crores has been released under the scheme since its inception in 1993-94, out of which Rs. 6370.78 crores (64.91%) has been released since 2014-15 including Rs. 805.69 crore during the current financial year. Till date, 21, 297 court halls and 18, 752 residential units have been made available under the scheme. From the year 2021, besides court halls and residential units, new components of digital computer room, lawyer's halls and toilet complexes have also been brought under the ambit of the above CSS.

Funds are released to the States/UTs only when their project proposals mandatorily comply with disable friendly norms/accessibility standards as laid down by CPWD/Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.  A certificate to this effect is also asked for from the States as part of the CSS guidelines. Under the scheme the States have enough liberty to provide for additional facilities including those that could facilitate easy accessibility to the courts.

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## Annexure

Statement referred to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4846 for reply on 31.03.2023, High Courts and State/UT-wise details of Court Complexes and Courts.

| S.No   | High Court                 | State                                                            |   Court Complexes |   Courts |
|--------|----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|----------|
| 1      | Allahabad                  | Uttar Pradesh                                                    |               180 |     2222 |
| 2      | Andhra Pradesh             | Andhra Pradesh                                                   |               218 |      617 |
| 3      | Bombay                     | Dadra and Nagar Haveli                                           |                 1 |        3 |
| 3      | Bombay                     | Daman and Diu                                                    |                 2 |        2 |
| 3      | Bombay                     | Goa                                                              |                17 |       39 |
| 3      | Bombay                     | Maharashtra                                                      |               471 |     2157 |
| 4      | Calcutta                   | Andaman &Nicobar Islands                                         |                 4 |       14 |
| 4      | Calcutta                   | West Bengal                                                      |                89 |      827 |
| 5      | Chhattisgarh               | Chhattisgarh                                                     |                93 |      434 |
| 6      | Delhi                      | Delhi                                                            |                 6 |      681 |
| 7      | Gauhati                    | Arunachal Pradesh                                                |                14 |       28 |
| 7      | Gauhati                    | Assam                                                            |                74 |      408 |
| 7      | Gauhati                    | Mizoram                                                          |                 8 |       69 |
| 7      | Gauhati                    | Nagaland                                                         |                11 |       37 |
| 8      | Gujarat                    | Gujarat                                                          |               376 |     1268 |
| 9      | Himachal Pradesh           | Himachal Pradesh                                                 |                50 |      162 |
| 10     | Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh | Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh |                86 |      218 |
| 11     | Jharkhand                  | Jharkhand                                                        |                28 |      447 |
| 12     | Karnataka                  | Karnataka                                                        |               207 |     1031 |
| 13     | Kerala                     | Kerala                                                           |               158 |      484 |
| 13     | Kerala                     | Lakshadweep                                                      |                 1 |        3 |
| 14     | Madhya Pradesh             | Madhya Pradesh                                                   |               213 |     1363 |
| 15     | Madras                     | Puducherry                                                       |                 4 |       24 |
| 15     | Madras                     | Tamil Nadu                                                       |               263 |     1124 |
| 16     | Manipur                    | Manipur                                                          |                17 |       38 |
| 17     | Meghalaya                  | Meghalaya                                                        |                 7 |       42 |
| 18     | Orissa                     | Odisha                                                           |               185 |      686 |
| 19     | Patna                      | Bihar                                                            |                84 |     1142 |
| 20     | Punjab &Haryana            | Chandigarh                                                       |                 1 |       30 |
| 20     | Punjab &Haryana            | Haryana                                                          |                53 |      500 |
| 20     | Punjab &Haryana            | Punjab                                                           |                64 |      541 |
| 21     | Rajasthan                  | Rajasthan                                                        |               247 |     1240 |
| 22     | Sikkim                     | Sikkim                                                           |                 8 |       23 |
| 23     | Telangana                  | Telangana                                                        |               129 |      476 |
| 24     | Tripura                    | Tripura                                                          |                14 |       84 |
| 25     | Uttarakhand                | Uttarakhand                                                      |                69 |      271 |
|        | Total                      |                                                                  |              3452 |    18735 |