Lok Sabha Question No. 3781 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-25
Subject: Gram Nyayalayas
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Dharambir Singh, Jual Oram

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. † 3781

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 25 TH  MARCH, 2022

## Gram Nyayalayas

## † 3781.   SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH :

## SHRI JUAL ORAM :

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

- (a)  whether the Government has opened Gram Nyayalayas to settle petty disputes at the village level;
- (b)   if so, the number of courts opened, State-wise including Haryana in this regard;
- (c)  the total number of pending cases in the country that are under trial for more than
- five years, State/UT-wise;
- (d)   whether the Government  proposes to open new Gram Nyayalayas; and
- (e)   if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE

## (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a)  & (b): To  provide  access  to  justice  to  the  citizen  at  their  door  steps,  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, 476 Gram Nyayalayas have been notified so far by 15

States/UT.  Out of these, 257 are operational in 10 States at present. The State-wise detail including Haryana is as below:

| Sl. No.   | State          |   Gram Nyayalayas Notified |   Gram Nyayalayas Functional |
|-----------|----------------|----------------------------|------------------------------|
| 1         | Madhya Pradesh |                         89 |                           89 |
| 2         | Rajasthan      |                         45 |                           45 |
| 3         | Karnataka      |                          2 |                            2 |
| 4         | Odisha         |                         23 |                           19 |
| 5         | Maharashtra    |                         36 |                           23 |
| 6         | Jharkhand      |                          6 |                            1 |
| 7         | Goa            |                          2 |                            0 |
| 8         | Punjab         |                          9 |                            2 |
| 9         | Haryana        |                          2 |                            2 |
| 10        | Uttar Pradesh  |                        113 |                           44 |
| 11        | Kerala         |                         30 |                           30 |
| 12        | Andhra Pradesh |                         42 |                            0 |
| 13        | Telangana      |                         55 |                            0 |
| 14        | Jammu &Kashmir |                         20 |                            0 |
| 15        | Ladakh         |                          2 |                            0 |
| Total     | Total          |                        476 |                          257 |

Gram Nyayalayas are deemed to be a Court of Judicial Magistrate of First Class with both civil and criminal jurisdiction to settle petty disputes at the village level.

- (c):    The  State-wise  number  of  pending  cases  in  the  Subordinate  Judiciary  for  more than  5  years,  as  available  on  the  National  Judicial  Data  Grid  (NJDG)  Portal  is annexed.
- (d)  &  (e):  In  terms  of  Section  3  (1)  of  the  Gram  Nyayalayas  Act,  2008,  the  State Governments are  responsible  for establishing Gram  Nyayalayas  in  consultation  with

the  respective  High  Courts. However,  the  Act  does  not  make  setting  up  of  Gram Nyayalayas mandatory. 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 7th April, 2013.  It was decided in the Conference that the  State  Governments  and  High  Courts  should  decide  the  question  of  setting  up  of Gram Nyayalayas wherever feasible, taking into account the local issues and situation. For opening of Gram Nyayalayas, the Central Government has been encouraging the States by way of providing financial assistance.

*********

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (C) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3781 FOR REPLY ON 25.03.2022

(As on 22.03.2022)

| Sl. No   | Name of States/UTs   |   More than five year Pending Cases (Civil) |   More than five year Pending Cases (Criminal) |    Total |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|----------|
| 1.       | Andhra Pradesh       |                                       62812 |                                          28634 |    91446 |
| 2.       | Telangana            |                                       54729 |                                          51935 |   106664 |
| 3.       | Assam                |                                       12999 |                                          48075 |    61074 |
| 4.       | Bihar                |                                      196498 |                                        1223051 |  1419549 |
| 5.       | Chandigarh           |                                        1568 |                                           1616 |     3184 |
| 6.       | Chhattisgarh         |                                        7335 |                                          27131 |    34466 |
| 7.       | D &NHaveli           |                                         582 |                                            256 |      838 |
| 8.       | Daman &Diu           |                                         254 |                                            200 |      454 |
| 9.       | Delhi                |                                       38182 |                                         112349 |   150531 |
| 10.      | Goa                  |                                        7881 |                                           3812 |    11693 |
| 11.      | Gujarat              |                                      123622 |                                         255061 |   378683 |
| 12.      | Haryana              |                                       28539 |                                          33641 |    62180 |
| 13.      | Himachal Pradesh     |                                       26959 |                                          29526 |    56485 |
| 14.      | Jammu &Kashmir       |                                       19771 |                                          34212 |    53983 |
| 15.      | Jharkhand            |                                       23077 |                                         112335 |   135412 |
| 16.      | Karnataka            |                                      169793 |                                         145534 |   315327 |
| 17.      | Kerala               |                                       53323 |                                         221264 |   274587 |
| 18.      | Ladakh               |                                          51 |                                             26 |       77 |
| 19.      | Madhya Pradesh       |                                       59156 |                                         233964 |   293120 |
| 20.      | Maharashtra          |                                      430376 |                                         825950 |  1256326 |
| 21.      | Manipur              |                                        1424 |                                            768 |     2192 |
| 22.      | Meghalaya            |                                        1483 |                                           4106 |     5589 |
| 23.      | Mizoram              |                                         297 |                                            365 |      662 |
| 24.      | Nagaland             |                                          58 |                                            566 |      624 |
| 25.      | Odisha               |                                      117273 |                                         481033 |   598306 |
| 26.      | Punjab               |                                       21252 |                                          20319 |    41571 |
| 27.      | Rajasthan            |                                      135767 |                                         372466 |   508233 |
| 28.      | Sikkim               |                                           4 |                                              4 |        8 |
| 29.      | Tamil Nadu           |                                      139087 |                                         133855 |   272942 |
| 30.      | Puducherry           |                                        2470 |                                           6183 |     8653 |
| 31.      | Tripura              |                                         802 |                                           3513 |     4315 |
| 32.      | Uttar Pradesh        |                                      745534 |                                        2892783 |  3638317 |
| 33.      | Uttarakhand          |                                        5816 |                                          33061 |    38877 |
| 34.      | West Bengal          |                                      226046 |                                         930855 |  1156901 |
| Total    | Total                |                                     2714820 |                                        8268449 | 10983269 |

Data Source:- National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)

Note:  Data  on  District  and  Subordinate  Courts  in  the  State  of  Arunachal  Pradesh  and  Union  Territories  of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are not available on the web-portal of NJDG.