Lok Sabha Question No. 2081 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-01
Subject: Filling up of Vacant Posts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Govind Makthappa Karjol

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2081 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 1 ST  AUGUST, 2025

## FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS

## 2081.   SHRI GOVIND MAKTHAPPA KARJOL:

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

- (a) the number of posts lying vacant in Supreme court, High Courts, District Courts and allied offices, including backlog vacancies;
- (b)  the  details  of  the  posts  vacant  in  High  Courts  and  District  Courts  in  Karnataka including backlog vacancies;
- (c) whether the Government has taken adequate steps to fill up the vacancies including backlog vacancies; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) to (d): The numbers of posts vacant in Supreme Court, High Courts and District and Subordinate Courts are as under:

|   S. No. | Name of Court                    | Vacancy as on 25.07.2025   |
|----------|----------------------------------|----------------------------|
|        1 | Supreme Court                    | 01                         |
|        2 | High Courts                      | 362                        |
|        3 | District and Subordinate Courts* | 4,721( as on 28.07.2025 )  |

Further, the details of existing vacancies in the High Courts (High Court wise) and the District &  Subordinate Courts (State/UT wise) are at Annexure-I and Annexure-II respectively.

The Government has been filling up vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the  High  Courts  from  time  to  time.  From  01.05.2014  to  21.07.2025,  70  Judges  have  been

appointed in the Supreme Court. 1058 new Judges were appointed and 794 Additional Judges were made permanent in the High Courts during the same period. The sanctioned strength of Judges  of  the  High  Courts  was  increased  from  906  in  May,  2014  to  1122  till  date.  The sanctioned and working strengths of judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts have increased as under:

| As on      | Sanctioned Strength   | Working Strength   |
|------------|-----------------------|--------------------|
| 31.12.2013 | 19,518                | 15,115             |
| 28.07.2025 | 25,843                | 21,122             |

Source: MIS Portal of the Department of Justice

Filling up of vacant positions of the judicial officers in District and Subordinate courts is the  responsibility  of  the  State  Governments  and  the  concerned  High  Courts.  As  per  the Constitutional framework, in exercise of powers conferred under proviso to Article 309 read with Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution, the respective State Government in consultation with  the  High  Court  frames  the  rules  and  regulations  regarding  the  appointment  and recruitment of Judicial Officers. Hon'ble Supreme Court vide order passed in January 2007 in the  Malik  Mazhar  Sultan  case,  has  inter-alia,  stipulated  certain  timelines,  which  are  to  be followed by the States and the respective High Courts for recruitment of judges in District and Subordinate Courts.

*****

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2081  FOR  ANSWER  ON  01.08.2025  REGARDING 'FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS.

Sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancies of Judges in the High Courts   (As on 25.07.2025)

|    | High Courts      |   Sanctioned Strength |   Working Strength |   Vacancy |
|----|------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| 1  | Allahabad        |                   160 |                 80 |        80 |
| 2  | Andhra Pradesh   |                    37 |                 28 |         9 |
| 3  | Bombay           |                    94 |                 67 |        27 |
| 4  | Calcutta         |                    72 |                 48 |        24 |
| 5  | Chhattisgarh     |                    22 |                 16 |         6 |
| 6  | Delhi            |                    60 |                 43 |        17 |
| 7  | Gauhati          |                    30 |                 21 |         9 |
| 8  | Gujarat          |                    52 |                 39 |        13 |
| 9  | Himachal Pradesh |                    17 |                 11 |         6 |
| 10 | J &Kand Ladakh   |                    25 |                 15 |        10 |
| 11 | Jharkhand        |                    25 |                 15 |        10 |
| 12 | Karnataka        |                    62 |                 47 |        15 |
| 13 | Kerala           |                    47 |                 43 |         4 |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh   |                    53 |                 33 |        20 |
| 15 | Madras           |                    75 |                 57 |        18 |
| 16 | Manipur          |                     5 |                  3 |         2 |
| 17 | Meghalaya        |                     4 |                  4 |         0 |
| 18 | Orissa           |                    33 |                 20 |        13 |
| 19 | Patna            |                    53 |                 36 |        17 |
| 20 | Punjab &Haryana  |                    85 |                 49 |        36 |
| 21 | Rajasthan        |                    50 |                 43 |         7 |
| 22 | Sikkim           |                     3 |                  3 |         0 |
| 23 | Telangana        |                    42 |                 26 |        16 |
| 24 | Tripura          |                     5 |                  4 |         1 |
| 25 | Uttarakhand      |                    11 |                  9 |         2 |
|    | Total            |                  1122 |                760 |       362 |

## ANNEXURE-II

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2081  FOR  ANSWER  ON  01.08.2025  REGARDING 'FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS.

Posts of Judicial Officer in District and Subordinate Courts (As on 28.07.2025 )

| Sl. NO.   | State/UTs                 | Sanctioned Strength   | Working Strength   | Vacancy   |
|-----------|---------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|-----------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh            | 639                   | 574                | 65        |
| 2.        | Arunachal Pradesh         | 44                    | 39                 | 5         |
| 3.        | Assam                     | 485                   | 461                | 24        |
| 4.        | Bihar                     | 2022                  | 1679               | 343       |
| 5.        | Chandigarh                | 30                    | 30                 | 0         |
| 6.        | Chhattisgarh              | 663                   | 465                | 198       |
| 7.        | D &NHaveli and Daman &Diu | 7                     | 6                  | 1         |
| 8.        | Delhi                     | 897                   | 788                | 109       |
| 9.        | Goa                       | 50                    | 40                 | 10        |
| 10.       | Gujarat                   | 1720                  | 1185               | 535       |
| 11.       | Haryana                   | 781                   | 661                | 120       |
| 12.       | Himachal Pradesh          | 179                   | 160                | 19        |
| 13.       | Jammu and Kashmir         | 322                   | 272                | 50        |
| 14.       | Jharkhand                 | 707                   | 501                | 206       |
| 15.       | Karnataka                 | 1394                  | 1167               | 227       |
| 16.       | Kerala                    | 614                   | 579                | 35        |
| 17.       | Ladakh                    | 17                    | 10                 | 7         |
| 18.       | Lakshadweep               | 4                     | 4                  | 0         |
| 19.       | Madhya Pradesh            | 2028                  | 1669               | 359       |
| 20.       | Maharashtra               | 2190                  | 1940               | 250       |
| 21.       | Manipur                   | 62                    | 49                 | 13        |
| 22.       | Meghalaya                 | 99                    | 57                 | 42        |
| 23.       | Mizoram                   | 74                    | 45                 | 29        |
| 24.       | Nagaland                  | 34                    | 24                 | 10        |
| 25.       | Odisha                    | 1043                  | 835                | 208       |
| 26.       | Puducherry                | 38                    | 26                 | 12        |
| 27.       | Punjab                    | 811                   | 716                | 95        |
| 28.       | Rajasthan                 | 1683                  | 1506               | 177       |
| 29.       | Sikkim                    | 35                    | 23                 | 12        |
| 30.       | Tamil Nadu                | 1375                  | 1240               | 135       |
| 31.       | Telangana                 | 560                   | 445                | 115       |
| 32.       | Tripura                   | 133                   | 106                | 27        |
| 33.       | Uttar Pradesh             | 3700                  | 2675               | 1025      |
| 34.       | Uttarakhand               | 298                   | 270                | 28        |
| 35.       | West Bengal               | 1105                  | 875                | 230       |
| 36.       | Andaman and Nicobar       |                       |                    |           |
| TOTAL     | TOTAL                     | 25,843 21,122         | 25,843 21,122      | 4,721     |

Source: MIS portal of Department of Justice (DoJ)