Lok Sabha Question No. 1571 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Appointment of Additional Judges
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Thomas Chazhikadan

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1571

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 28.07.2023

## Appointment of Additional Judges

## 1571. SHRI THOMAS CHAZHIKADAN:

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

- (a)the details of memorandum or guidelines forappointing additional judges to High Courts and theSupreme Court;
- (b)the details of vacancies of permanent judgesand appointment of additional judges in various HighCourts during the last five years, State-wise; and
- (c) whether the Government has sought anyadvice from the apex court for appointing additional judges when vacancies for permanent judges remainedunfilled in High Courts 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)  to  (c):The  Memorandum  of  Procedure  of  appointment  and  transfer  of  Chief  Justices  and Judges of High Courts inter-alia states that Additional Judges can be appointed by the President under clause (1) of Article 224 of the Constitution. The sanctioned strength of Permanent and Additional Judges in the High Court is fixed in a ratio of 75:25. When there is a vacancy of a Permanent Judge in the parent High Court and there is no Additional Judge appointed in the said High Court, fresh appointment would be made as a Permanent Judge. In case of no vacancy of a permanent Judge in the parent High Court or there is a vacancy of a Permanent Judge but an Additional Judge has already been appointed in the said High Court, the fresh appointment will be made as an Additional Judge. There is no provision for appointment of an Additional Judge in the Supreme Court of India.

The list of vacancies of Permanent Judges and Additional Judges in High Courts as on 24.07.2023, High Court-wise is at Annexure-I .The list of vacancies of Permanent Judges and appointment of judges in various High Courts since 01.01.2019 is at Annexure-II .

***

## ANNEXURE-I

## Statement showing Sanctioned Strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judges in the High Courts (As on 24.07.2023)

Sanctioned strength

Working strength

Vacancies

| A.   | Supreme Court    | 34   | 34   | 34    | 32   | 32   | 32    | 2    | 2    | 2     |
|------|------------------|------|------|-------|------|------|-------|------|------|-------|
| B.   | High Court       | Pmt. | Addl | Total | Pmt. | Addl | Total | Pmt. | Addl | Total |
| 1    | Allahabad        | 119  | 41   | 160   | 74   | 21   | 95    | 45   | 20   | 65    |
| 2    | Andhra Pradesh   | 28   | 9    | 37    | 22   | 5    | 27    | 6    | 4    | 10    |
| 3    | Bombay           | 71   | 23   | 94    | 40   | 26   | 66    | 31   | -3   | 28    |
| 4    | Calcutta         | 54   | 18   | 72    | 33   | 19   | 52    | 21   | -1   | 20    |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh     | 17   | 5    | 22    | 10   | 5    | 15    | 7    | 0    | 7     |
| 6    | Delhi            | 46   | 14   | 60    | 41   | 3    | 44    | 5    | 11   | 16    |
| 7    | Gauhati          | 22   | 8    | 30    | 15   | 9    | 24    | 7    | -1   | 6     |
| 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    | 12   | 4    | 16    | 1    | 0    | 1     |
| 11   | Jharkhand        | 20   | 5    | 25    | 19   | 1    | 20    | 1    | 4    | 5     |
| 12   | Karnataka        | 47   | 15   | 62    | 37   | 13   | 50    | 10   | 2    | 12    |
| 13   | Kerala           | 35   | 12   | 47    | 28   | 6    | 34    | 7    | 6    | 13    |
| 14   | Madhya Pradesh   | 39   | 14   | 53    | 34   | 0    | 34    | 5    | 14   | 19    |
| 15   | Madras           | 56   | 19   | 75    | 47   | 16   | 63    | 9    | 3    | 12    |
| 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    | 33   | 0    | 33    | 7    | 13   | 20    |
| 20   | Punjab &Haryana  | 64   | 21   | 85    | 38   | 22   | 60    | 26   | -1   | 25    |
| 21   | Rajasthan        | 38   | 12   | 50    | 34   | 0    | 34    | 4    | 12   | 16    |
| 22   | Sikkim           | 3    | 0    | 3     | 3    | 0    | 3     | 0    | 0    | 0     |
| 23   | Telangana        | 32   | 10   | 42    | 25   | 2    | 27    | 7    | 8    | 15    |
| 24   | Tripura          | 4    | 1    | 5     | 3    | 0    | 3     | 1    | 1    | 2     |
| 25   | Uttarakhand      | 9    | 2    | 11    | 8    | 0    | 8     | 1    | 2    | 3     |
|      | Total            | 840  | 274  | 1114  | 621  | 152  | 773   | 219  | 122  | 341   |

## Details of vacancies of Permanent Judges and appointment of Additional Judges from the years 2019to 2023 (till 24.07.2023)

| S. No.   |                  | 2019                                         | 2019                                         | 2020                                         | 2020                                         | 2021                                         | 2021                                         | 2022                                         | 2022                                         | 2023                                         | 2023                                         |
|----------|------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | High Court       | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2019 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2019 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2020 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2020 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2021 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2021 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2022 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2022 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 24.07.2023 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2023 |
| 1        | Allahabad        | 15                                           | 10                                           | 09                                           | 04                                           | 38                                           | 17                                           | 46                                           | 12                                           | 45                                           | 09                                           |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh   | 14                                           | -                                            | 13                                           | -                                            | 10                                           | 02                                           | 8                                            | 03                                           | 6                                            | 02                                           |
| 3        | Bombay           | 18                                           | 11                                           | 16                                           | 04                                           | 22                                           | 06                                           | 19                                           | 19                                           | 31                                           | 04                                           |
| 4        | Calcutta         | 35                                           | 06                                           | 32                                           | 01                                           | 22                                           | 08                                           | 24                                           | 14                                           | 21                                           | -                                            |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh     | 09                                           | -                                            | 06                                           | -                                            | 04                                           | 03                                           | 7                                            | 03                                           | 7                                            | 01                                           |
| 6        | Delhi            | 06                                           | -                                            | 09                                           | -                                            | 15                                           | -                                            | 15                                           | 01                                           | 5                                            | 03                                           |
| 7        | Gauhati          | 04                                           | 04                                           | 03                                           | -                                            | 01                                           | 06                                           | 1                                            | 02                                           | 7                                            | 02                                           |
| 8        | Gujarat          | 12                                           | -                                            | 12                                           | -                                            | 10                                           | 07                                           | 7                                            | -                                            | 10                                           | -                                            |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh | 02                                           | 01                                           | 01                                           | -                                            | 01                                           | 01                                           | 2                                            | -                                            | 4                                            | -                                            |
| 10       | J &Kand Ladakh   | 04                                           | -                                            | 05                                           | -                                            | 02                                           | 02                                           | -                                            | 04                                           | 1                                            | -                                            |
| 11       | Jharkhand        | 05                                           | 02                                           | 02                                           | -                                            | 02                                           | -                                            | -                                            | 01                                           | 1                                            | -                                            |
| 12       | Karnataka        | 26                                           | 10                                           | 28                                           | 10                                           | 21                                           | 06                                           | 8                                            | 06                                           | 10                                           | 04                                           |
| 13       | Kerala           | 04                                           | 01                                           | 08                                           | 06                                           | 05                                           | 12                                           | 8                                            | 01                                           | 7                                            | -                                            |
| 14       | Madhya           | 05                                           | -                                            | 09                                           | -                                            | 11                                           | -                                            | 11                                           | -                                            | 5                                            | -                                            |

Annexure-II

| S. No.   | High Court      | 2019                                         | 2019                                         | 2020                                         | 2020                                         | 2021                                         | 2021                                         | 2022                                         | 2022                                         | 2023                                         | 2023                                         |
|----------|-----------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | High Court      | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2019 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2019 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2020 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2020 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2021 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2021 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 01.01.2022 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2022 | Vacancy of Permanent Judges as on 24.07.2023 | Additional Judges appointed in the year 2023 |
|          | Pradesh         |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |                                              |
| 15       | Madras          | 15                                           | 01                                           | 10                                           | 10                                           | 04                                           | 05                                           | 11                                           | 04                                           | 9                                            | 11                                           |
| 16       | Manipur         | 01                                           | -                                            | -                                            | 01                                           | -                                            | -                                            | 1                                            | -                                            | 1                                            | -                                            |
| 17       | Meghalaya       | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -01*                                         | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | 0                                            | -                                            |
| 18       | Orissa          | 06                                           | -                                            | 06                                           | -                                            | 05                                           | 04                                           | 2                                            | -                                            | 3                                            | -                                            |
| 19       | Patna           | 18                                           | -                                            | 14                                           | -                                            | 18                                           | 04                                           | 14                                           | -                                            | 7                                            | -                                            |
| 20       | Punjab& Haryana | 18                                           | 10                                           | 26                                           | 01                                           | 22                                           | 06                                           | 21                                           | 21                                           | 26                                           | 01                                           |
| 21       | Rajasthan       | 13                                           | -                                            | 17                                           | -                                            | 15                                           | 03                                           | 10                                           | -                                            | 4                                            | -                                            |
| 22       | Sikkim          | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | 0                                            | -                                            |
| 23       | Telangana       | 05                                           | -                                            | 06                                           | -                                            | 04                                           | 07                                           | 13                                           | 02                                           | 7                                            | -                                            |
| 24       | Tripura         | 01                                           | -                                            | 01                                           | -                                            | -                                            | -                                            | -01**                                        | -                                            | 1                                            | -                                            |
| 25       | Uttarakhand     | -                                            | 01                                           | -                                            | -                                            | 01                                           | -                                            | 2                                            | -                                            | 1                                            | -                                            |
|          | Total           | 236                                          | 57                                           | 233                                          | 37                                           | 232                                          | 99                                           | 229                                          | 93                                           | 219                                          | 37                                           |

* In the year 2021, against the sanctioned strength of 03 Permanent Judges and 01 Additional Judge in the Meghalaya High Court, 04 Permanent Judges were working, therefore, there was -01 vacancy of Permanent Judge.
- **  In the year 2022, against the sanctioned strength of 04 Permanent Judges and 01 Additional Judge in the Tripura High Court, 05 Permanent Judges were working, therefore, there was -01 vacancy of Permanent Judge.