Lok Sabha Question No. 322 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-21
Subject: Cases Pending in Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Aparajita Sarangi, Ashok Kumar Rawat

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.322 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 21 ST  JULY, 2023

## CASES PENDING IN COURTS

322. SHRIMATI APARAJITA SARANGI:

SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

SHRI NABA KUMAR SARANIA:

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

- (a) the approximate number of cases pending in District courts, High courts and Supreme court in the country as on date, State and court-wise;
- (b) whether there has been a huge increase in the pendency of cases in the above courts during the last three years and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of
- the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to set up special courts for speedy disposal of pending cases in view of the number of such cases and if so, the details thereof and
- if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of other steps taken to reduce the backlog of cases;
- (e)  the  details  of  steps  being  taken  to  promote  alternative  dispute  resolution
- mechanism; and
- (f) whether Government has initiated any scheme to ensure equal access to Justice for vulnerable and marginalized population and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF

PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE

(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a): As per information provided by the Supreme Court of India, as on 01.07.2023, there were 69,766 cases pending in the Supreme Court. The detailed statement of cases

pending in High Courts and District and Subordinate Courts of the various States/UT is at ANNEXURE I & II respectively.

(b), (c) & (d): The detailed, comparative statement of pending cases during the last three  years (2020-till  date)  in  the  Supreme  Court,  High  Court  and  District  and Subordinate Courts is at ANNEXURE III .  There has been an increase of 7.45% in the number of pending cases during the last three years (2020-till date) in the High Courts. Whereas  there  has  been  an  increase  of  20.48%  in  pending  cases  in  the  District  and Subordinate Courts during the last three years (2020-till date). However, the disposal of pending cases in courts is within the domain of the judiciary. Government has no direct role in disposal of cases in courts.

Under  the  aegis  of  the  Fourteenth  Finance  Commission,  the  Government  has established Fast Track Courts for dealing with cases of heinous crimes, cases involving senior  citizens,  women,  children  etc.  As  on  31.05.2023,  832  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. Further, the central government has approved a scheme for setting up  1023  Fast  Track  Special  Courts  (FTSCs)  across  the  country  for  the  expeditious disposal of pending cases of Rape under IPC and crimes under POCSO Act. As on date, 28 States/UTs have joined the scheme.

Further, under Commercial Courts Act, 2015, Dedicated Commercial Courts for speedier resolution of commercial disputes have been set up with proper infrastructure and  exclusive  judicial  human  power.  There  are  35  Dedicated  Commercial  Courts  in Delhi, 6 Dedicated Commercial Courts in Mumbai, 10 Dedicated Commercial Courts in Karnataka  and  2  Dedicated  Commercial  Court  in  Bengaluru  Rural  areas)  ,  and  2 Dedicated Commercial Courts in Kolkata. At present, there is no proposal pending with the Government to set up special courts.

Apart from this, the Government has taken several other initiatives to provide an ecosystem for faster disposal of cases by the judiciary, the details of which are as under:-

- i. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Judicial Infrastructure, funds are being released  to  States/UTs  for  construction  of  court  halls,  residential  quarters  for judicial officers, lawyers' halls, toilet complexes and digital computer rooms that would ease the life of lawyers and litigants, thereby aiding justice delivery. As on date,  Rs.  10035  crores  have  been  released  since  the  inception  of  the  Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  for  Development  of  Infrastructure  Facilities  for  the Judiciary in 1993-94. The number of court halls has increased from 15,818 as on 30.06.2014  to  21,365  as  on  30.06.2023,  and  number  of  residential  units  has increased from 10,211 as on 30.06.2014 to 18,846 as on 30.06.2023, under this scheme.
- ii. Further under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, information and communication technology (ICT) has been leveraged for IT enablement of district and subordinate courts. The number of computerised district & subordinate courts has increased to 18,735 so far. WAN connectivity has been provided to 99.4% of court  complexes.    Video  conferencing  facility  has  been  enabled  between  3,240 court  complexes and 1,272 corresponding jails. 815 e-Sewa Kendras 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  e  filing  facilities.  22  virtual  courts  have  been  set  up  in  18 States/UTs. As on 31.05.2023, these courts have handled more than 3.113 crore cases and realized more than Rs. 408 crores in fines. E-courts Phase III is about to begin which intends to incorporate latest technology such Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Block chain to make justice delivery more robust, easy and accessible to all the stakeholders.
- iii. Government has been regularly filling up the vacancies in higher judiciary. From 01.05.2014 to 10.07.2023, 56 Judges were appointed in Supreme Court. 919 new Judges were appointed and 653 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  1114  currently.  sanctioned  and  working  strength  of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts has increased as follow:

| As on      | Sanctioned Strength   | Working Strength   |
|------------|-----------------------|--------------------|
| 31.12.2013 | 19,518                | 15,115             |
| 14.07.2023 | 25,246                | 19,858             |

However,filling  up  of  vacancies  in  subordinate  judiciary  falls  within  the domain of the State Governments and high courts concerned.

- iv. In pursuance of a Resolution passed in Chief Justices' Conference held in April, 2015, Arrears Committees have been set up in all 25 High Courts to clear cases pending for more than five  years.   Arrears  Committees  have  been  set  up  under District courts as well.
- v. With a view 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.
- vi. Alternate  Dispute  Resolution  methods  have  been  promoted  whole  heartedly. Accordingly,  the  Commercial  Courts  Act,  2015  was  amended  on  20th  August, 2018 making Pre-institution Mediation and Settlement (PIMS)  mandatory in case 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.
- vii. LokAdalat is an important Alternative Disputes Resolution Mechanism available to common people. It is a forum where the disputes/ cases pending in the court of

law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably.  Under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, an award made by a LokAdalat is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal lies against thereto before any court. . LokAdalat is not a permanent establishment.  National LokAdalats are organized simultaneously in all Taluks, Districts and High Courts on a pre-fixed date. The details of the case disposed off in LokAdalats during the last three years are as under:-

| Years                  | Pre-litigation Cases   | Pending Cases   | Grand Total   |
|------------------------|------------------------|-----------------|---------------|
| 2021                   | 72,06,294              | 55,81,743       | 1,27,88,037   |
| 2022                   | 3,10,15,215            | 1,09,10,795     | 4,19,26,010   |
| 2023 (upto 17.06.2023) | 3,00,11,291            | 61,88,686       | 3,61,99,977   |
| Total                  | 6,82,32,800            | 2,26,81,224     | 9,09,14,024   |

- viii. The  Government  launched  the  Tele-Law  programme  in  2017,  which  provided  an effective  and  reliable  e-interface  platform  connecting  the  needy  and  disadvantaged sections seeking legal advice and consultation with panel lawyers via video conferencing,  telephone  and  chat  facilities  available  at  the  Common  Service  Centres (CSCs) situated in Gram Panchayat and through Tele-Law mobile App.
- ix. Efforts  have  been  made  to  institutionalize  pro  bono  culture  and  pro  bono lawyering the country. A technological framework has been put in place where advocates  volunteering  to  give  their  time  and  services  for  pro  bono  work  can register  as  Pro  Bono  Advocates on Nyaya Bandhu (Android & iOS and Apps). Nyaya Bandhu Services also available on UMANG Platform. Pro Bono Panel of advocates have been initiated in 21 High Courts at the State level. Pro Bono Clubs have been started in 69 select Laws Schools to instill Pro Bono culture in budding lawyers.

*Percentage Wise break-up of Tele - Law Data

| Till 28th Feb, 2023   | Cases Registered    | %Wise Break Up      | Advice Enabled      | %Wise Break Up      |
|-----------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| Gender Wise           | Gender Wise         | Gender Wise         | Gender Wise         | Gender Wise         |
| Female                | 15,75,140           | 34.38               | 15,35,775           | 34.39               |
| Male                  | 30,06,772           | 65.62               | 29,30,601           | 65.61               |
| Caste Category Wise   | Caste Category Wise | Caste Category Wise | Caste Category Wise | Caste Category Wise |
| General               | 9,82,636            | 21.45               | 9,52,773            | 21.33               |
| OBC                   | 13,28,505           | 28.99               | 12,93,153           | 28.95               |
| SC                    | 14,88,971           | 32.50               | 14,53,283           | 32.54               |
| ST                    | 7,81,800            | 17.065              | 7,67,167            | 17.18               |
| Total                 | 45,81,912           |                     | 44,66,376           |                     |

(e): The  Government  has  been  at  the  forefront  of  promoting  Alternative  Dispute Resolution  Systems.  The  enabling  legal  framework  for  resolution  of  disputes  through Alternative  Dispute  Resolution  (ADR)  has  been  provided  under  Section  89,  Civil Procedure Code, 1908. Section 89 recognises four modes of ADR namely, Arbitration, Conciliation, Judicial Settlement including settlement through LokAdalat and Mediation. It provides for the court to refer a dispute for settlement by either of these modes, where it  appears  that  there  exist  elements  of  a  settlement,  which  may  be  acceptable  to  the parties.

The Mediation Bill, 2021, which has been introduced in the Parliament, stipulates a  provision  under  Clause  7,  which  states  that  courts  may,  if  deemed  appropriate refer inter-alia any  dispute  relating  to  compoundable  offences  to  mediation.  However, the  outcome of  such  mediation  shall  be  further  considered  by  the  court  in  accordance with the law for the time being in force. Therefore, the provisions of the Mediation Bill, 2021  enable  and  recognise  settlement  of  compoundable  offences  in  terms  of  the provisions contained therein.

The  Government  is  promoting  ADR  mechanisms  including  arbitration  and mediation as these mechanisms are less adversarial and are capable of providing a better substitute  to  the  conventional  methods  of  resolving  disputes.  The  use  of  ADR mechanisms is also expected to reduce the burden on the judiciary and thereby enable timely justice dispensation to citizens of the country. Some of the major initiatives over the years in this regard include:-

The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 was enacted to consolidate and amend the  law  relating  to  domestic  arbitration,  international  commercial  arbitration  and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards as also to define the law relating to conciliation and  for  matters  connected  therewith.  To  keep  pace  with  current  developments  in  the arbitration landscape and to enable arbitration as a viable dispute resolution mechanism, the Indian arbitration law has undergone significant changes in the years 2015, 2019 and 2021.The changes are enabled to signal a paradigm shift for ensuring timely conclusion of  arbitration  proceedings,  minimizing judicial intervention in the arbitral process and enforcement of arbitral awards.

The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 provided for expeditious, fast track and time bound arbitral proceedings, neutrality of arbitrators and cost effective delivery mechanism. This was followed by the Arbitration and Conciliation  (Amendment)  Act,  2019  with  the  main  objective  of  giving  boost  to institutional  arbitration  and  to  reduce  the  share  of  ad-hoc  arbitration  in  the  country. Further,  Section  34  of  the  Act  was  amended  vide  the  Arbitration  and  Conciliation (Amendment)  Act,  2021,  which  provides  for  unconditional  stay  of  enforcement  of arbitral awards where the underlying arbitration agreement, contracts or making of the arbitral award are induced by fraud or corruption, besides giving power to Arbitration Council of India, to lay down qualifications, experience and norms for accreditation of arbitrators, by regulations.

The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 was amended in the year 2018 to provide for Pre-Institution  Mediation  and  Settlement  (PIMS)  mechanism.  Under  this  mechanism, where a commercial dispute of specified value does not contemplate any urgent interim relief,  the  parties  have  to  first  exhaust  the  mandatory  remedy  of  PIMS  before approaching  the  Court.  This  is  aimed  at  providing  an  opportunity  to  the  parties  to resolve the commercial disputes through mediation.

Rooted in the tradition of 'People's Court', the concept of  LokAdalat has been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. LokAdalat can take up any kind of Civil matters and all Criminal Compoundable matters, whether pending in a court or at the Pre-Litigative stage.  The award made by LokAdalat is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal lies against the Award before  any  court.During  the  COVID  pandemic,  the  Legal  Services  Authorities (LSAs) innovatively leveraged technology and introduced E-LokAdalat, wherein affected parties couldget their matter resolved without physically visiting the venue of the Adalat. E-LokAdalat is a process to settle disputes, combining technology and alternative dispute resolution ('ADR')  mechanisms which offers a faster, transparent and accessible option.

(f): A scheme on Access to Justice titled 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India 'has been launched by the Government of India which aims to strengthen pre-litigation  advice  and  consultation  through  Tele-Law:  Reaching  the Unreached; ensure pan - India dispensation framework to deliver Pro Bono legal Services through Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme and to empower citizens through Pan India legal literacy and legal awareness programme. The Scheme embeds use  of  technology  and  developing  contextualized  IEC  (Information,  Education  and Communication)  material  in  regional  /  local  dialect  to  support  its  intervention  and  to achieve  easy  accessibility  of  legal  services  to  the  poor  and  weakest  sections  of  the society.  All these  services  are  provided  free  of  cost  to  all  citizens  including  the  dalits, backward classes and other weaker sections of the society .

Article 39A of the Constitution of India provides that State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disability. Articles 14 and 22(1) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law and a legal system which promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all. Legal aid strives to ensure that constitutional pledge is fulfilled in its letter and spirit and equal justice is made available to the poor, downtrodden and weaker sections of the society.

In  1987 Legal  Services Authorities Act was enacted 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 5 th December, 1995.

In every State a State Legal Services Authority is constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the Central Authority (NALSA) and to provide legal services to the people and conduct LokAdalats in the State. State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) is headed by the Chief Justice of the State High Court who is its Patron-in-Chief. A serving Judge of the High Court is nominated as its Executive Chairman.

The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) is constituted in every District to implement Legal Aid Programmes and Schemes in the District, under the Chairmanship of District Judge of the District.   Taluk Legal Services Committees are also constituted for  each  of  the  Taluk  or  Mandal  or  for  group  of  Taluk  or  Mandals  to  coordinate  the activities of legal services in the Taluk and to organiseLokAdalats.

Under  Section  12  of  the  Legal  Services  Authorities  Act,  1987,  the  following persons are entitled to free legal services irrespective of their income;

- (a) a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribes;
- (b) a victim of trafficking in human beings or beggar as referred to in article 23 of the Constitution;
- (c) a woman or a child;
- (d) a  person  with  disability  as  defined  in  clause  (i)  of  section  2  of  the  Persons  with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 (1 of 1996);
- (e) a person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a victim of a mass disaster,  ethnic  violence,  caste  atrocity,  flood,  drought,  earthquake  or  industrial disaster; or
- (f) an industrial workman; or
- (g) in custody, including custody in a protective home within the meaning of clause (g) of section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, or a in a Juvenile home within the meaning of clause (j) of section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (53 of  1986),  or  in  a  psychiatric  hospital  or  psychiatric  nursing  home  within  the meaning of clause (g) of section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987 (14 of 1987);
- (h) As  regards  the  means  test  for  the  entitlement  of  legal  services,  Section  12(h) specifies  that  the  persons  belonging  to the  categories other than  those  mentioned above are entitled to free legal services, if their annual income is less than Rs. 3 lakh  (in some States Rs. 1,00,000/- and Rs.1,50,000/-) if the case is before a court other than the Supreme Court, and is less than Rs.5,00,000/-, if the case is before the Supreme Court."

The  National  Legal  Services  Authority  has  notified  National  Legal  Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010 and published in the Gazette of India.  The said Regulation being of statutory nature provides entitlement to the aforesaid poor and weaker section of the society such as member of SC/ST, Women, children,  etc.  Amicus  curie  are  also  appointed  by  the  Government  at  State  levels.    As regards  legal  services  advocates,  panel  lawyers  for  legal  aid  cases  are  appointed  at  all levels including in the High Courts and Supreme Court by the Legal Services Institutions for prosecuting or defending the Court cases on behalf of all persons who are eligible for Legal Services under the above provisions.

Section 2 (c) of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 defines 'legal services' which  include  the  rendering  of  any  service  in  conduct  of  any  case  or  other  legal proceeding before any Court or other authority or Tribunal and the giving of advice on any legal matter.  Section 4 and Section 8 of the said Act proscribe function of NALSA and State Legal Services Authorities respectively whereas Section 10 and Section 11-B for District Legal Services Authorities and Taluk Legal Services Committees respectively.

NALSA  has  formulated  10  Schemes  under  Section  4  (b)  of  Legal  Services Authorities  Act,  1987,  for  the  purpose  of  making  legal  services  available  under  the provisions of the Act and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizens by reason of economic or other disabilities which are as under:-

- (a) NALSA (Victims  of  Trafficking  and  Commercial  Sexual  Exploitation)  Scheme, 2015,
- (b) NALSA (Legal Services to the Workers in the Unorganized Sector) Scheme, 2015
- (c) NALSA (Child Friendly Legal Services to Children and their Protection) Scheme, 2015.
- (d) NALSA  (Legal  Services  to  the  Mentally  Ill  and  Mentally  Disabled  Persons) Scheme, 2015.
- (e) NALSA (Effective Implementation of Poverty Alleviation Scheme) Scheme, 2015.
- (f) NALSA (Protection and Enforcement of Tribal Rights) Scheme, 2015.
- (g) NALSA (Legal Services to the Victims of Drug Abuse and Eradication of Drug Menace) Scheme, 2015.
- (h) NALSA (Legal Services to Senior Citizens) Scheme, 2016.
- (i) NALSA (Legal Services to Victims of Acid Attacks) Scheme, 2016.
- (j) NALSA (Legal Services for Differently Abled Children) Scheme, 2021.

Annexure-I

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 322 FOR ANSWER ON 21.07.2023 REGARDING 'CASES PENDING IN COURTS'.

| High Court-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in High Court as on 15.07.2023*   | High Court-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in High Court as on 15.07.2023*   | High Court-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in High Court as on 15.07.2023*   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                                                    | High Court                                                                                | No. of Pending cases                                                                      |
| 1                                                                                         | Allahabad High Court                                                                      | 1038489                                                                                   |
| 2                                                                                         | Bombay High Court                                                                         | 709267                                                                                    |
| 3                                                                                         | High Court Of Rajasthan                                                                   | 650234                                                                                    |
| 4                                                                                         | Madras High Court                                                                         | 553550                                                                                    |
| 5                                                                                         | High Court of Madhya Pradesh                                                              | 445213                                                                                    |
| 6                                                                                         | High Court of Punjab and Haryana                                                          | 443576                                                                                    |
| 7                                                                                         | High Court of Karnataka                                                                   | 277907                                                                                    |
| 8                                                                                         | High Court for State of Telangana                                                         | 253210                                                                                    |
| 9                                                                                         | High Court of Andhra Pradesh                                                              | 246774                                                                                    |
| 10                                                                                        | Calcutta High Court                                                                       | 204531                                                                                    |
| 11                                                                                        | Patna High Court                                                                          | 203738                                                                                    |
| 12                                                                                        | High Court of Kerala                                                                      | 190175                                                                                    |
| 13                                                                                        | High Court of Gujarat                                                                     | 165389                                                                                    |
| 14                                                                                        | Orissa High Court                                                                         | 146137                                                                                    |
| 15                                                                                        | High Court of Delhi                                                                       | 110693                                                                                    |
| 16                                                                                        | High Court of Himachal Pradesh                                                            | 95168                                                                                     |
| 17                                                                                        | High Court Of Chhattisgarh                                                                | 91554                                                                                     |
| 18                                                                                        | High Court of Jharkhand                                                                   | 85606                                                                                     |
| 19                                                                                        | Gauhati High Court                                                                        | 60980                                                                                     |
| 20                                                                                        | High Court of Uttarakhand                                                                 | 47945                                                                                     |
| 21                                                                                        | High Court of Jammu and Kashmir                                                           | 45093                                                                                     |
| 22                                                                                        | High Court of Manipur                                                                     | 5038                                                                                      |
| 23                                                                                        | High Court of Tripura                                                                     | 1227                                                                                      |
| 24                                                                                        | High Court of Meghalaya                                                                   | 1138                                                                                      |
| 25                                                                                        | High Court of Sikkim                                                                      | 154                                                                                       |
|                                                                                           | Total                                                                                     | 6072786                                                                                   |

*Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)

Annexure-II

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 322 FOR ANSWER ON 21.07.2023 REGARDING 'CASES PENDING IN COURTS'.

| State-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Courts as on   | State-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Courts as on   | State-wise detailed Statement of Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Courts as on   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sr No.                                                                                        | State                                                                                         | No. of Pending cases                                                                          |
| 1                                                                                             | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                 | 11604842                                                                                      |
| 2                                                                                             | Maharashtra                                                                                   | 5098211                                                                                       |
| 3                                                                                             | Bihar                                                                                         | 3501247                                                                                       |
| 4                                                                                             | West Bengal                                                                                   | 2901756                                                                                       |
| 5                                                                                             | Rajasthan                                                                                     | 2265986                                                                                       |
| 6                                                                                             | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                | 2008754                                                                                       |
| 7                                                                                             | Karnataka                                                                                     | 1916866                                                                                       |
| 8                                                                                             | Kerala                                                                                        | 1879849                                                                                       |
| 9                                                                                             | Gujarat                                                                                       | 1683883                                                                                       |
| 10                                                                                            | Haryana                                                                                       | 1532073                                                                                       |
| 11                                                                                            | Odisha                                                                                        | 1519857                                                                                       |
| 12                                                                                            | Tamil Nadu                                                                                    | 1471478                                                                                       |
| 13                                                                                            | Delhi                                                                                         | 1227453                                                                                       |
| 14                                                                                            | Punjab                                                                                        | 916266                                                                                        |
| 15                                                                                            | Telangana                                                                                     | 907280                                                                                        |
| 16                                                                                            | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                | 846873                                                                                        |
| 17                                                                                            | Himachal Pradesh                                                                              | 537048                                                                                        |
| 18                                                                                            | Jharkhand                                                                                     | 524360                                                                                        |
| 19                                                                                            | Assam                                                                                         | 464851                                                                                        |
| 20                                                                                            | Chhattisgarh                                                                                  | 407859                                                                                        |
| 21                                                                                            | Uttarakhand                                                                                   | 335360                                                                                        |
| 22                                                                                            | Jammu and Kashmir                                                                             | 316596                                                                                        |
| 23                                                                                            | Chandigarh                                                                                    | 82417                                                                                         |
| 24                                                                                            | Goa                                                                                           | 56743                                                                                         |
| 25                                                                                            | Tripura                                                                                       | 45322                                                                                         |
| 26                                                                                            | Puducherry                                                                                    | 34108                                                                                         |
| 27                                                                                            | Meghalaya                                                                                     | 15971                                                                                         |
| 28                                                                                            | Manipur                                                                                       | 12557                                                                                         |
| 29                                                                                            | Andaman and Nicobar                                                                           | 8742                                                                                          |
| 30                                                                                            | Mizoram                                                                                       | 5800                                                                                          |
| 31                                                                                            | DNH at Silvasa                                                                                | 4048                                                                                          |
| 32                                                                                            | Nagaland                                                                                      | 3361                                                                                          |
| 33                                                                                            | Diu and Daman                                                                                 | 3058                                                                                          |
| 34                                                                                            | Sikkim                                                                                        | 1816                                                                                          |
| 35                                                                                            | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                             | 1387                                                                                          |
| 36                                                                                            | Ladakh                                                                                        | 1205                                                                                          |
|                                                                                               | Total                                                                                         | 44145283                                                                                      |

*Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)

Annexure-III

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 322 FOR ANSWER ON 21.07.2023 REGARDING 'CASES PENDING IN COURTS'.

| Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   | Detailed Comparative Statement of Pending Cases in various courts during last three years   |
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| S.No                                                                                        | Year                                                                                        | Name of Court                                                                               | Name of Court                                                                               | Name of Court                                                                               | Name of Court                                                                               | Name of Court                                                                               | Name of Court                                                                               |
|                                                                                             |                                                                                             | Supreme Court*                                                                              | % increase/ decrease                                                                        | High Courts**                                                                               | % increase/ decrease                                                                        | District& Subordinate Courts**                                                              | % increase/ decrease                                                                        |
| 1                                                                                           | 2020                                                                                        | 65,086 (As on 01.01.2021)                                                                   |                                                                                             | 56,42,567                                                                                   |                                                                                             | 3,66,39,436                                                                                 |                                                                                             |
| 2                                                                                           | 2021                                                                                        | 70,239 (As on 01.01.2022)                                                                   | 7.9%                                                                                        | 56,49,068                                                                                   | 0.11%                                                                                       | 4,05,79,062                                                                                 | 10.75%                                                                                      |
| 3                                                                                           | 2022                                                                                        | 69,768 (As on 01.01.2023)                                                                   | (-)0.67%                                                                                    | 59,78,714                                                                                   | 5.83%                                                                                       | 4,32,09,164                                                                                 | 6.48%                                                                                       |
| 4                                                                                           | Present                                                                                     | 69,766 (As on 01.07.2023)                                                                   | (-)0.02%                                                                                    | 60,62,953 (As on 14.07.2023)                                                                | 1.40%                                                                                       | 4,41,45,249 (As on 14.07.2023)                                                              | 2.16%                                                                                       |

*Source: Supreme Court of India **Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)