Lok Sabha Question No. 5031 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Review of Judges Strength
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Arvind Kumar Sharma, Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Guman Singh Damor, Sangeeta Azad, Naba (Hira) Kumar Sarania, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†5031 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 31 ST MARCH, 2023

## REVIEW OF JUDGES STRENGTH

## †5031. DR. ARVIND KUMAR SHARMA:

SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

SHRI GUMAN SINGH DAMOR:

SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD:

SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA:

SHRI SANJAY JADHAV:

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

- (a)  the  total  number  of  different  types  of  courts  running  in  the  country,  State, district and type-wise;
- (b) whether the strength of judges is reviewed in these courts from time to time and
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has received any proposal to increase the strength of judges in various courts including Supreme Court and if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
- (d) whether there is a shortage of judges in various courts;
- (e) if so, the details of sanctioned and actual strength of judges and vacancies in the
- said courts in the country, court and State-wise;
- (f)  the  total  number of registered lawyers in various courts in the country, court
- and State-wise; and
- (g)  whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  strengthen  the  system  of appointment of judges, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE

## (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

- (a): As laid  down by the Constitution of India, the Supreme Court of India is the apex  court  in  the  country  that  has  been  vested  with  original,  appellate  and  advisory

jurisdiction.  Further, there  are  High  Courts  that  stand  at  the  head  of  a  State's  judicial administration.  According  to  Article  227  of  the  Constitution,  every  High  Court  shall have superintendence over all courts and tribunals throughout the territories in relation to which it exercises jurisdiction. A detailed statement showing the total number of High Courts and Subordinate Courts complexes running in the country, State /District-wise is at Annexure-I .

(b): During  the  Joint  Conference  of  Chief  Justices  and  Chief  Ministers  held  on 07.04.2013, a decision was taken to increase the number of Judges of the High Courts by  25%.  Accordingly,  during  the  period  from  01.07.2014  to  21.03.2023  with  the approval  of  the  respective  State  Governments,  concerned  High  Courts  and  the  Chief Justice of India, Government has increased the Judge strength of the High Courts from 906 to 1114 i.e. by 208 posts.

The review  of judges' strength in District and  Subordinate  courts  is the responsibility  of  High  Court  and  State  Government  concerned.  The  appointment, selection  and  recruitment  of  judicial  officers  is  done  by  the  High  Courts  in  certain States,  whereas,  the  High  Courts  do  it  in  consultation  with  the  State  Public  Service Commissions in other States.  The Central Government has no direct role in the matter.

(c): At present, there is a proposal to increase the judge strength of High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from 17 to 25 judges which is under consideration.No proposal for increase in strength of the Supreme Court is pending with the Government.

(d) & (e): The detailed statement of State-wise sanctioned strength, working strength and  vacancy  position  in  Supreme  Court  of  India, High  Courts  and  District  & Subordinate Courts is at Annexure-II & III respectively.

(f): As  per  the  information  provided  by  Department  of  Legal  Affairs,  the  present status  of  total  Advocates  registered  with  different  State  Bar  Council  in  the  country, State-wise, is at Annexure-IV .

(g): Appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts is made under Articles  124,  217  and  224  of  the  Constitution  of  India  and  as  per  the  procedure  laid down  in  the  Memorandum  of  Procedure  (MoP)  prepared  in  1998  pursuant  to  the Supreme  Court  Judgment  of  October  6,  1993  (Second  Judges  case)  read  with  their Advisory Opinion of October 28, 1998 (Third Judges case). Appointment of the Judges of  the  Constitutional  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  state  and  central  level.  Government  appoints only those persons as Judges of High Courts who are recommended by Supreme Court Collegium (SCC).

In case of District and Subordinate judiciary, as per constitutional provisions the respective State Governments, in consultation with their High Courts, frame the rules and  regulations  regarding  the  issue  of  appointment  of  Judicial  Officers  in  the  State Judicial Service. The Central Government has no role in the selection and appointment of judicial officers in District and Subordinate judiciary.

******

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †5031  FOR ANSWER ON 31.03.2023 REGARDING 'REVIEW OF JUDGES STRENGTH'.

Detailed  statement  showing  the  total  number  of  High  Courts  and  Subordinate  Courts  complexes running in the country, State /District-wise.

| S.No   | High Court                | State/Jurisdiction                     | Total Districts   | Total Court Complexes   |
|--------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
| 1      | Allahabad                 | Uttar Pradesh                          | 74                | 183                     |
| 2      | Andhra Pradesh            | Andhra Pradesh                         | 13                | 189                     |
| 3      | Bombay                    | Dadra and Nagar Haveli                 | 1                 | 2                       |
| 3      |                           | Daman and Diu                          | 2                 | 2                       |
| 3      |                           | Goa                                    | 2                 | 16                      |
| 3      |                           | Maharashtra                            | 40                | 487                     |
| 4      | Calcutta                  | Andaman &Nicobar Islands               | 1                 | 4                       |
|        |                           | West Bengal                            | 22                | 90                      |
| 5      | Chhattisgarh              | Chhattisgarh                           | 23                | 89                      |
| 6      | Delhi                     | Delhi                                  | 11                | 12                      |
| 7      | Gauhati                   | Arunachal Pradesh                      | 4                 | 4                       |
| 7      |                           | Assam                                  | 33                | 79                      |
| 7      |                           | Mizoram                                | 3                 | 12                      |
| 7      |                           | Nagaland                               | 9                 | 5                       |
| 8      | Gujarat                   | Gujarat                                | 32                | 338                     |
| 9      | Himachal Pradesh          | Himachal Pradesh                       | 11                | 50                      |
| 10     | Jammu &Kashmir and Ladakh | Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and | 20                | 82                      |
| 10     |                           | Union Territory of Ladakh              | 2                 | 4                       |
| 11     | Jharkhand                 | Jharkhand                              | 24                | 24                      |
| 12     | Karnataka                 | Karnataka                              | 31                | 206                     |
| 13     | Kerala                    | Kerala                                 | 15                | 174                     |
| 13     |                           | Lakshadweep                            |                   |                         |
| 14     | Madhya Pradesh            | Madhya Pradesh                         | 50                | 230                     |
| 15     | Madras                    | Puducherry                             | 4                 | 4                       |
| 15     |                           | Tamil Nadu                             | 32                | 271                     |
| 16     | Manipur                   | Manipur                                | 9                 | 21                      |
| 17     | Meghalaya                 | Meghalaya                              | 11                | 13                      |
| 18     | Orissa                    | Odisha                                 | 30                | 124                     |
| 19     | Patna                     | Bihar                                  | 37                | 80                      |
| 20     | Punjab &Haryana           | Chandigarh                             | 1                 | 1                       |
| 20     |                           | Haryana                                | 21                | 58                      |
| 20     |                           | Punjab                                 | 22                | 69                      |
| 21     | Rajasthan                 | Rajasthan                              | 36                | 330                     |
| 22     | Sikkim                    | Sikkim                                 | 6                 | 9                       |
| 23     | Telangana                 | Telangana                              | 33                | 115                     |
| 24     | Tripura                   | Tripura                                | 8                 | 20                      |
| 25     | Uttarakhand               | Uttarakhand                            | 13                | 69                      |
| Total  | Total                     | Total                                  | 686               | 3466                    |

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (D) & (E) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †5031  FOR ANSWER ON 31.03.2023 REGARDING 'REVIEW OF JUDGES STRENGTH'.

Statement showing Sanctioned strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judgesin the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts (As on 27.03.2023)

|       |                          | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Working strength   | Working strength   | Working strength   | Vacancies   | Vacancies   | Vacancies   |
|-------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| A. B. | Supreme Court High Court | Pmt.                  | 34 Addl               | Total                 | Pmt.               | 34 Addl            | Total              | Pmt.        | 0 Addl      | Total       |
| 1     | Allahabad                | 119                   | 41                    | 160                   | 81                 | 21                 | 102                | 38          | 20          | 58          |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh           | 28                    | 9                     | 37                    | 26                 | 5                  | 31                 | 2           | 4           | 6           |
| 3     | Bombay                   | 71                    | 23                    | 94                    | 42                 | 23                 | 65                 | 29          | 0           | 29          |
| 4     | Calcutta                 | 54                    | 18                    | 72                    | 34                 | 19                 | 53                 | 20          | -1          | 19          |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh             | 17                    | 5                     | 22                    | 9                  | 4                  | 13                 | 8           | 1           | 9           |
| 6     | Delhi                    | 46                    | 14                    | 60                    | 45                 | 0                  | 45                 | 1           | 14          | 15          |
| 7     | Gauhati                  | 22                    | 8                     | 30                    | 14                 | 9                  | 23                 | 8           | -1          | 7           |
| 8     | Gujarat                  | 39                    | 13                    | 52                    | 29                 | 0                  | 29                 | 10          | 13          | 23          |
| 9     | Himachal Pradesh         | 13                    | 4                     | 17                    | 9                  | 0                  | 9                  | 4           | 4           | 8           |
| 10    | J &Kand Ladakh           | 13                    | 4                     | 17                    | 11                 | 4                  | 15                 | 2           | 0           | 2           |
| 11    | Jharkhand                | 20                    | 5                     | 25                    | 20                 | 1                  | 21                 | 0           | 4           | 4           |
| 12    | Karnataka                | 47                    | 15                    | 62                    | 40                 | 13                 | 53                 | 7           | 2           | 9           |
| 13    | Kerala                   | 35                    | 12                    | 47                    | 31                 | 6                  | 37                 | 4           | 6           | 10          |
| 14    | Madhya Pradesh           | 39                    | 14                    | 53                    | 31                 | 0                  | 31                 | 8           | 14          | 22          |
| 15    | Madras                   | 56                    | 19                    | 75                    | 47                 | 11                 | 58                 | 9           | 8           | 17          |
| 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                    | 21                 | 0                  | 21                 | 3           | 9           | 12          |
| 19    | Patna                    | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 32                 | 0                  | 32                 | 8           | 13          | 21          |
| 20    | Punjab &Haryana          | 64                    | 21                    | 85                    | 38                 | 27                 | 65                 | 26          | -6          | 20          |
| 21    | Rajasthan                | 38                    | 12                    | 50                    | 33                 | 0                  | 33                 | 5           | 12          | 17          |
| 22    | Sikkim                   | 3                     | 0                     | 3                     | 3                  | 0                  | 3                  | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 23    | Telangana                | 32                    | 10                    | 42                    | 30                 | 2                  | 32                 | 2           | 8           | 10          |
| 24    | Tripura                  | 4                     | 1                     | 5                     | 2                  | 0                  | 2                  | 2           | 1           | 3           |
| 25    | Uttarakhand              | 9                     | 2                     | 11                    | 5                  | 0                  | 5                  | 4           | 2           | 6           |
|       | Total                    | 840                   | 274                   | 1114                  | 639                | 145                | 784                | 201         | 129         | 330         |

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (D)  &  (E)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  †5031 FOR  ANSWER  ON  31.03.2023  REGARDING  'REVIEW  OF  JUDGES STRENGTH'.

Statement  showing  Sanctioned  strength,  Working  Strength  and  Vacancies  position  of  Judicial  officer  in District & Subordinate Courts (As on 27.03.2023).

| S.no.   | State/UT            |   Sanctioned Strength |   Working Strength |   Vacancy |
|---------|---------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| 1       | Andaman and Nicobar |                     0 |                 13 |       -13 |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh      |                   618 |                548 |        70 |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh   |                    41 |                 33 |         8 |
| 4       | Assam               |                   485 |                425 |        60 |
| 5       | Bihar               |                  2016 |               1350 |       666 |
| 6       | Chandigarh          |                    30 |                 30 |         0 |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh        |                   552 |                436 |       116 |
| 8       | D &NHaveli          |                     3 |                  2 |         1 |
| 9       | Daman &Diu          |                     4 |                  4 |         0 |
| 10      | Delhi               |                   887 |                709 |       178 |
| 11      | Goa                 |                    50 |                 40 |        10 |
| 12      | Gujarat             |                  1582 |               1151 |       431 |
| 13      | Haryana             |                   772 |                574 |       198 |
| 14      | Himachal Pradesh    |                   179 |                163 |        16 |
| 15      | Jammu and Kashmir   |                   314 |                222 |        92 |
| 16      | Jharkhand           |                   694 |                505 |       189 |
| 17      | Karnataka           |                  1375 |               1134 |       241 |
| 18      | Kerala              |                   601 |                471 |       130 |
| 19      | Ladakh              |                    17 |                  9 |         8 |
| 20      | Lakshadweep         |                     4 |                  4 |         0 |
| 21      | Madhya Pradesh      |                  2028 |               1642 |       386 |
| 22      | Maharashtra         |                  2190 |               1940 |       250 |
| 23      | Manipur             |                    59 |                 42 |        17 |
| 24      | Meghalaya           |                    99 |                 57 |        42 |
| 25      | Mizoram             |                    74 |                 41 |        33 |
| 26      | Nagaland            |                    34 |                 24 |        10 |
| 27      | Odisha              |                  1001 |                814 |       187 |
| 28      | Puducherry          |                    28 |                 11 |        17 |
| 29      | Punjab              |                   797 |                589 |       208 |
| 30      | Rajasthan           |                  1587 |               1249 |       338 |
| 31      | Sikkim              |                    30 |                 23 |         7 |
| 32      | Tamil Nadu          |                  1343 |               1061 |       282 |
| 33      | Telangana           |                   560 |                419 |       141 |
| 34      | Tripura             |                   128 |                108 |        20 |
| 35      | Uttar Pradesh       |                  3694 |               2494 |      1200 |
| 36      | Uttarakhand         |                   299 |                267 |        32 |
| 37      | West Bengal         |                  1014 |                918 |        96 |
| TOTAL   | TOTAL               |                 25189 |              19522 |      5667 |

Source:- MIS Portal of Department of Justice.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (F)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †5031  FOR ANSWER ON 31.03.2023 REGARDING 'REVIEW OF JUDGES STRENGTH'.

Statement showing the present status of total Advocates enrolled with different State Bar Council.

| S. NO   | State Bar Council   | As on Date   |   Total Number of Advocate |
|---------|---------------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| 1.      | Assam               | --           |                      37326 |
| 2.      | Andhra Pradesh      | 14.03.2023   |                      74522 |
| 3.      | Telangana           | 03.03.2023   |                      46555 |
| 4.      | Bihar               | 17.03.2023   |                     136721 |
| 5.      | Chhattisgarh        | 04.08.2022   |                      31429 |
| 6.      | Delhi               | 17.03.2023   |                     149655 |
| 7.      | Gujarat             | 29.07.2022   |                     108181 |
| 8.      | Himachal Pradesh    | 16.03.2023   |                      12578 |
| 9.      | Jharkhand           | 18.03.2023   |                      31248 |
| 10.     | Karnataka           | 03.07.2022   |                     111162 |
| 11.     | Kerala              | 30.07.2022   |                      58770 |
| 12.     | Madhya Pradesh      | 23.08.2022   |                     112390 |
| 13.     | Maharashtra& Goa    | 02.04.2021   |                     191394 |
| 14.     | Orissa              | 10.08.2022   |                      58697 |
| 15.     | Punjab &Haryana     | 20.07.2021   |                     117423 |
| 16.     | Rajasthan           | 03.03.2023   |                      99597 |
| 17.     | Tamil Nadu          | 30.07.2022   |                     114584 |
| 18.     | Uttar Pradesh       | 01.04.2021   |                     400016 |
| 19.     | Uttarakhand         | 16.03.2023   |                      18804 |
| 20.     | West Bengal         | 01.04.2021   |                      86555 |
| 21.     | Jammu &Kashmir      | --           |                      10589 |
| 22.     | Tripura             | 06.08.2022   |                       1489 |
| 23.     | Manipur             | 02.03.2023   |                       1974 |
| 24.     | Meghalaya           | 16.03.2023   |                       1422 |
|         | Total               |              |                    2013081 |

Source: - Department of Legal Affairs