Lok Sabha Question No. 1593 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Vacancy and Cases in Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Girish Chandra, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Rahul Kaswan, Guman Singh Damor, Sanghamitra Maurya, Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama, Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Pawan Rajenimbalkar, Nishikant  Dubey, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, S. Gnanathiraviam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 28 TH  JULY, 2023

## VACANCY AND CASES IN COURTS

## 1593. SHRI GIRISH CHANDRA:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

SHRI GUMAN SINGH DAMOR:

DR. SANGHMITRA MAURYA:

SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAWAN AJENIMBALKAR:

DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU:

SHRI VINAYAK RAUT:

SHRI SANJAY JADHAV:

SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S.:

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

- (a) whether the pendency of cases in courts has increased due to vacancy of judges in different courts and tribunals and if so, the details thereof, court-wise;
- (b) the  details  of  sanctioned,  actual  strength  and  vacancy  of  judges  in  Supreme Court, High Courts, district courts and tribunals during the last three years and the current year, court/tribunal-wise and State/UT-wise;
- the steps taken to fill up the vacant posts within a fixed time limit in all these
- (c) courts;
- (d)
- whether a number of cases are pending for 10 and 15 years or more therein, if so, the details thereof and the action taken/being taken for their speedy disposal;
- (e) whether there is a proposal for reservation in Higher judiciary, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for the same; and
- (f) whether the Government has a provision to make court judgements/correspondence online, 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): The vacancy of judges is not the sole reason for the increased pendency of cases in courts. Pendency of cases in courts can be contributed to several factors which, inter-alia, include  availability  of  physical  infrastructure  and  supporting  court  staff,  complexity  of facts  involved,  nature  of  evidence,  co-operation  of  stake  holders  viz.  bar,  investigation agencies,  witnesses  and  litigants  and  proper  application  of  rules  and  procedures.  Other factors  that  lead  to  delay  in  disposal  of  cases  include  lack  of  prescribed  timeframe  by respective courts for disposal of various kinds of cases, frequent adjournments and lack of adequate arrangement to monitor, track and bunch cases for hearing.

The information regarding pendency of cases in the Tribunals is not maintained by the Department. A detailed court-wise statement of pendency of cases in Supreme Court, High Courts, and District courts are at ANNEXURE I, II and III respectively.

(b): The  information  regarding  sanctioned,  working  strength  and  vacancy  in  the Tribunals  is  not  maintained  by  the  Department.  A  detailed  statement  showing  the sanctioned,  actual/working  strength  and  vacancy  position  of  judges  in  Supreme  Court, High  Court  and  District  Courts  during  the  last  three  years  and  the  current  year  are  at ANNEXURE-IV and V respectively.

(c): Filling  up  of  vacancies  in  the  High  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. Hence, the time for filling up of vacancies of the Judges in the higher Judiciary cannot be indicated. While every effort is  made to fill up  the existing  vacancies  expeditiously, vacancies of Judges  in  High  Courts  do  keep  on  arising  on  account  of  retirement,  resignation  or elevation of Judges and also due to increase in the strength of Judges.

In  case  of  the  District/Subordinate  judiciary,  The  Central  Government  has  no  role under the Constitution in the selection, recruitment and appointment of judicial officers at the District/Subordinate judiciary level. 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 issues of appointment and recruitment of Judicial Officers in the respective State Judicial Service. Thus, the selection and appointment of judicial officers in the Subordinate/District Courts is the responsibility of the High Courts and State Governments concerned. In some States, the respective High Courts undertake the recruitment process, whereas in other States, the High Courts does it in consultation with the State Public Service Commissions.

- (d): As per the information provided by the Supreme Court of India, as on 21.03.2023, cases pending for more than 30 to 50, 30 to 40, 40 to 50 and more than 50 years is 22, 20, 2, 0 respectively. There are no cases pending for 10 and 15 years in the Supreme Court. In case  of  the  High  Courts  and  District  Courts,  as  per  information  available  on  National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) on 24 th July, 2023, the number of cases pending for 10 and 15 years or more is as follows:-

| Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   | Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   | Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   | Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   | Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   | Details of Pendency as on 24.07.2023*   |
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                  | ` Name of Court                         | Cases pending for 10 years              | Cases pending for 15 years              | Cases pending for more than 15 years    | Cases pending for more than 15 years    |
|                                         |                                         |                                         |                                         | Cases pending for 20 to 30 years        | Cases pending for more than 30 years    |
| 1                                       | High Courts                             | 1,83,146                                | 1,11,847                                | 2,17,010                                | 71,204                                  |
| 2                                       | District and Subordinate Courts         | 8,73,587                                | 3,09,792                                | 5,20,588                                | 1,01,837                                |

*Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

The  disposal  of  pending  cases  in  courts  is  within  the  domain  of  the  judiciary. Government has no role in disposal of cases in courts.

- (e): Appointment of Judges of the High Courts is made under Articles 217 and 224 of the Constitution of India, which do not provide for reservation for any caste or class of persons. However, the Government is committed to social diversity in the appointment of

Judges in the in the Higher Judiciary and has been requesting the Chief Justices of High Courts  that  while  sending  proposals  for  appointment  of  Judges,  due  consideration  be given  to  suitable  candidates  belonging  to  Scheduled  Castes,  Scheduled  Tribes,  Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Women to ensure social diversity in appointment of Judges in High Courts.

(f): As part of the National eGovernance Plan, the eCourts Mission Mode Project is under  implementation  for  ICT  development  of  the  Indian  Judiciary  based  on  the 'National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary'. eCourts project is being implemented in association with  e-Committee  Supreme  Court  of  India  and  Department  of  Justice.  Its  vision  is  to transform the judicial system of the country by ICT enablement of courts and to enhance the judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, making the justice delivery system accessible, cost effective, reliable, and transparent. Under Phase II of the project that  was  implemented  from  2015  to  2023.  18,735  District  &  Subordinate  courts computerized.  All  stakeholders  can  access  information  relating  to  judicial  proceedings/ decisions of computerized District & Subordinate Courts and High Courts on the National Judicial  Data  Grid  (NJDG).  As  on  03.07.2023, Litigants can access case status information  in  respect  of  over  23.34 crore  cases  and  more  than 22.21 crore  orders  / judgments.  eCourts  services  such  as  details  of  case  registration,  cause  list,  case  status, daily  orders  &  final  judgments  are available for litigants  and advocates on the  eCourts web portal at https://ecourts.gov.in/ecourts\_home/ as well as the eCourts services mobile app.

Judgments  of  the  High  Court  can  be  retrieved  from  the 'Judgment  &  Order Search' portal. The 'Judgment Search' segment can be reached at https://judgments.ecourts.gov.in,  which  encapsulates  the  features  such  as  search  by Bench, Case Type, Case Number, Year, Petitioner/ Respondent Name, Judge Name, Act, Section, Decision: From Date, To Date and Full Text Search. The most important feature of  this  portal  is  using  a  free  text  search  engine,  which  finds  out  judgments  based  on  a given keyword or combination of keywords.

**********

Annexure-I

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2023 REGARDING 'VACANCY AND CASES IN COURTS'.

| Supreme Court Pendency as on 01.07.2023   | 69,766   |
|-------------------------------------------|----------|

Source:- Supreme Court website

Annexure-II

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593  FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2023 REGARDING 'VACANCY AND CASES IN COURTS'.

| High Court Pendency as on 26.07.2023*   | High Court Pendency as on 26.07.2023*   | High Court Pendency as on 26.07.2023*   |
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                  | Name of High Court                      | Total Pendency of cases                 |
| 1                                       | Allahabad                               | 1039879                                 |
| 2                                       | Bombay                                  | 700214                                  |
| 3                                       | Rajasthan                               | 652093                                  |
| 4                                       | Madras                                  | 551953                                  |
| 5                                       | Madhya Pradesh                          | 445498                                  |
| 6                                       | Punjab and Haryana                      | 442805                                  |
| 7                                       | Karnataka                               | 278405                                  |
| 8                                       | Andhra Pradesh                          | 247095                                  |
| 9                                       | Telangana                               | 252901                                  |
| 10                                      | Patna                                   | 203291                                  |
| 11                                      | Calcutta                                | 203637                                  |
| 12                                      | Kerala                                  | 189728                                  |
| 13                                      | Gujarat                                 | 165487                                  |
| 14                                      | Orissa                                  | 145908                                  |
| 15                                      | Delhi                                   | 110951                                  |
| 16                                      | Himachal Pradesh                        | 95184                                   |
| 17                                      | Chhattisgarh                            | 91332                                   |
| 18                                      | Jharkhand                               | 85840                                   |
| 19                                      | Guwahati                                | 60635                                   |
| 20                                      | Uttarakhand                             | 48000                                   |
| 21                                      | Jammu and Kashmir                       | 45150                                   |
| 22                                      | Manipur                                 | 5034                                    |
| 23                                      | Tripura                                 | 1174                                    |
| 24                                      | Meghalaya                               | 1148                                    |
| 25                                      | Sikkim                                  | 157                                     |
|                                         | Total                                   | 6063499                                 |

*Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

## Annexure-III

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593  FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2023 REGARDING 'VACANCY AND CASES IN COURTS'.

| Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Court as on 24.07.2023*   | Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Court as on 24.07.2023*   | Pendency of cases in District and Subordinate Court as on 24.07.2023*   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                                  | State                                                                   | Total Pendency of Cases                                                 |
| 1                                                                       | Uttar Pradesh                                                           | 11635286                                                                |
| 2                                                                       | Maharashtra                                                             | 5121209                                                                 |
| 3                                                                       | Bihar                                                                   | 3508123                                                                 |
| 4                                                                       | West Bengal                                                             | 2908921                                                                 |
| 5                                                                       | Rajasthan                                                               | 2273368                                                                 |
| 6                                                                       | Madhya Pradesh                                                          | 2012302                                                                 |
| 7                                                                       | Karnataka                                                               | 1926412                                                                 |
| 8                                                                       | Kerala                                                                  | 1885878                                                                 |
| 9                                                                       | Gujarat                                                                 | 1697326                                                                 |
| 10                                                                      | Haryana                                                                 | 1532073                                                                 |
| 11                                                                      | Odisha                                                                  | 1531155                                                                 |
| 12                                                                      | Tamil Nadu                                                              | 1474434                                                                 |
| 13                                                                      | Delhi                                                                   | 1229741                                                                 |
| 14                                                                      | Punjab                                                                  | 914800                                                                  |
| 15                                                                      | Telangana                                                               | 909793                                                                  |
| 16                                                                      | Andhra Pradesh                                                          | 852215                                                                  |
| 17                                                                      | Himachal Pradesh                                                        | 543461                                                                  |
| 18                                                                      | Jharkhand                                                               | 526160                                                                  |
| 19                                                                      | Assam                                                                   | 467874                                                                  |
| 20                                                                      | Chhattisgarh                                                            | 410118                                                                  |
| 21                                                                      | Uttarakhand                                                             | 336583                                                                  |
| 22                                                                      | Jammu and Kashmir                                                       | 317884                                                                  |
| 23                                                                      | Chandigarh                                                              | 82417                                                                   |
| 24                                                                      | Goa                                                                     | 56545                                                                   |
| 25                                                                      | Tripura                                                                 | 45856                                                                   |
| 26                                                                      | Puducherry                                                              | 34084                                                                   |
| 27                                                                      | Meghalaya                                                               | 15930                                                                   |
| 28                                                                      | Manipur                                                                 | 12641                                                                   |
| 29                                                                      | Andaman and Nicobar                                                     | 8786                                                                    |
| 30                                                                      | Mizoram                                                                 | 5851                                                                    |
| 31                                                                      | DNH at Silvasa                                                          | 4075                                                                    |
| 32                                                                      | Nagaland                                                                | 3316                                                                    |
| 33                                                                      | Diu and Daman                                                           | 3091                                                                    |
| 34                                                                      | Sikkim                                                                  | 1816                                                                    |
| 35                                                                      | Arunachal Pradesh                                                       | 1387                                                                    |
| 36                                                                      | Ladakh                                                                  | 1225                                                                    |
|                                                                         | Total                                                                   | 4,42,92,136                                                             |

*Source: National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1593 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2023 REGARDING 'VACANCY AND CASES IN COURTS'.

## Statement showing Sanctioned strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts as on 24.07.2023

|       |                          | 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.               | 32 Addl            | Total              | Pmt.        | 2 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         |

Statement showing Sanctioned strength, Working Strength and Vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts as on 17.01.2022

|       |                          | 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.               | 32 Addl            | Total              | Pmt.        | 02 Addl     | Total       |
| 1     | Allahabad                | 120                   | 40                    | 160                   | 74                 | 19                 | 93                 | 46          | 21          | 67          |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh           | 28                    | 09                    | 37                    | 20                 | 0                  | 20                 | 8           | 9           | 17          |
| 3     | Bombay                   | 71                    | 23                    | 94                    | 52                 | 08                 | 60                 | 19          | 15          | 34          |
| 4     | Calcutta                 | 54                    | 18                    | 72                    | 30                 | 09                 | 39                 | 24          | 09          | 33          |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh             | 17                    | 05                    | 22                    | 10                 | 03                 | 13                 | 07          | 02          | 09          |
| 6     | Delhi                    | 45                    | 15                    | 60                    | 30                 | 0                  | 30                 | 15          | 15          | 30          |
| 7     | Gauhati                  | 18                    | 06                    | 24                    | 17                 | 06                 | 23                 | 01          | 0           | 01          |
| 8     | Gujarat                  | 39                    | 13                    | 52                    | 32                 | 0                  | 32                 | 07          | 13          | 20          |
| 9     | Himachal Pradesh         | 10                    | 03                    | 13                    | 08                 | 01                 | 09                 | 02          | 02          | 04          |
| 10    | J &Kand Ladakh           | 13                    | 04                    | 17                    | 13                 | 0                  | 13                 | 0           | 04          | 04          |
| 11    | Jharkhand                | 19                    | 06                    | 25                    | 19                 | 01                 | 20                 | 0           | 05          | 05          |
| 12    | Karnataka                | 47                    | 15                    | 62                    | 39                 | 06                 | 45                 | 08          | 09          | 17          |
| 13    | Kerala                   | 35                    | 12                    | 47                    | 27                 | 12                 | 39                 | 08          | 0           | 08          |
| 14    | Madhya Pradesh           | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 29                 | 0                  | 29                 | 11          | 13          | 24          |
| 15    | Madras                   | 56                    | 19                    | 75                    | 45                 | 15                 | 60                 | 11          | 04          | 15          |
| 16    | Manipur                  | 04                    | 01                    | 05                    | 03                 | 01                 | 04                 | 01          | 0           | 01          |
| 17    | Meghalaya                | 03                    | 01                    | 04                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 0           | 01          | 01          |
| 18    | Orissa                   | 20                    | 07                    | 27                    | 18                 | 0                  | 18                 | 02          | 07          | 09          |
| 19    | Patna                    | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 26                 | 0                  | 26                 | 14          | 13          | 27          |
| 20    | Punjab &Haryana          | 64                    | 21                    | 85                    | 43                 | 06                 | 49                 | 21          | 15          | 36          |
| 21    | Rajasthan                | 38                    | 12                    | 50                    | 28                 | 0                  | 28                 | 10          | 12          | 22          |
| 22    | Sikkim                   | 03                    | 0                     | 03                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 23    | Telangana                | 32                    | 10                    | 42                    | 19                 | 0                  | 19                 | 13          | 10          | 23          |
| 24    | Tripura                  | 04                    | 01                    | 05                    | 05                 | 0                  | 05                 | -01         | 1           | 0           |
| 25    | Uttarakhand              | 09                    | 02                    | 11                    | 07                 | 0                  | 07                 | 02          | 02          | 04          |
|       | Total                    | 829                   | 269                   | 1098                  | 600                | 87                 | 687                | 229         | 182         | 411         |

Statement  showing  Sanctioned  strength,  Working  Strength  and  Vacancies  of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts as on 01.01.2021

|       |                          | 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.               | 30 Addl            | Total              | Pmt.        | 04 Addl     | Total       |
| 1     | Allahabad                | 120                   | 40                    | 160                   | 82                 | 14                 | 96                 | 38          | 26          | 64          |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh           | 28                    | 09                    | 37                    | 18                 | 0                  | 18                 | 10          | 09          | 19          |
| 3     | Bombay                   | 71                    | 23                    | 94                    | 49                 | 15                 | 64                 | 22          | 08          | 30          |
| 4     | Calcutta                 | 54                    | 18                    | 72                    | 32                 | 02                 | 34                 | 22          | 16          | 38          |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh             | 17                    | 05                    | 22                    | 13                 | 01                 | 14                 | 04          | 04          | 08          |
| 6     | Delhi                    | 45                    | 15                    | 60                    | 30                 | 0                  | 30                 | 15          | 15          | 30          |
| 7     | Gauhati                  | 18                    | 06                    | 24                    | 17                 | 03                 | 20                 | 01          | 03          | 04          |
| 8     | Gujarat                  | 39                    | 13                    | 52                    | 29                 | 0                  | 29                 | 10          | 13          | 23          |
| 9     | Himachal Pradesh         | 10                    | 03                    | 13                    | 09                 | 0                  | 09                 | 01          | 03          | 04          |
| 10    | J &Kand Ladakh           | 13                    | 04                    | 17                    | 11                 | 0                  | 11                 | 02          | 04          | 06          |
| 11    | Jharkhand                | 19                    | 06                    | 25                    | 17                 | 0                  | 17                 | 02          | 06          | 08          |
| 12    | Karnataka                | 47                    | 15                    | 62                    | 26                 | 20                 | 46                 | 21          | -05         | 16          |
| 13    | Kerala                   | 35                    | 12                    | 47                    | 30                 | 07                 | 37                 | 05          | 05          | 10          |
| 14    | Madhya Pradesh           | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 29                 | 0                  | 29                 | 11          | 13          | 24          |
| 15    | Madras                   | 56                    | 19                    | 75                    | 52                 | 10                 | 62                 | 04          | 09          | 13          |
| 16    | Manipur                  | 04                    | 01                    | 05                    | 04                 | 01                 | 05                 | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 17    | Meghalaya                | 03                    | 01                    | 04                    | 04                 | 0                  | 04                 | -01         | 01          | 0           |
| 18    | Orissa                   | 20                    | 07                    | 27                    | 15                 | 0                  | 15                 | 05          | 07          | 12          |
| 19    | Patna                    | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 22                 | 0                  | 22                 | 18          | 13          | 31          |
| 20    | Punjab& Haryana          | 64                    | 21                    | 85                    | 42                 | 11                 | 53                 | 22          | 10          | 32          |
| 21    | Rajasthan                | 38                    | 12                    | 50                    | 23                 | 0                  | 23                 | 15          | 12          | 27          |
| 22    | Sikkim                   | 03                    | 0                     | 03                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 23    | Telangana                | 18                    | 06                    | 24                    | 14                 | 0                  | 14                 | 04          | 06          | 10          |
| 24    | Tripura                  | 04                    | 0                     | 04                    | 04                 | 0                  | 04                 | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 25    | Uttarakhand              | 09                    | 02                    | 11                    | 08                 | 01                 | 09                 | 01          | 01          | 02          |
|       | Total                    | 815                   | 264                   | 1079                  | 583                | 85                 | 668                | 232         | 179         | 411         |

Statement  showing  Sanctioned  strength,  Working  Strength  and  Vacancies  of Judges in the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts as on 01.01.2020

| A.   |                          | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Sanctioned strength   | Working strength   | Working strength   | Working strength   | Vacancies   | Vacancies   | Vacancies   |
|------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| B.   | Supreme Court High Court | Pmt.                  | 34 Addl               | Total                 | Pmt.               | 33 Addl            | Total              | Pmt.        | 01 Addl     | Total       |
| 1    | Allahabad                | 76                    | 84                    | 160                   | 67                 | 40                 | 107                | 09          | 44          | 53          |
| 2    | Andhra Pradesh           | 28                    | 09                    | 37                    | 15                 | 0                  | 15                 | 13          | 09          | 22          |
| 3    | Bombay                   | 71                    | 23                    | 94                    | 55                 | 15                 | 70                 | 16          | 08          | 24          |
| 4    | Calcutta                 | 54                    | 18                    | 72                    | 22                 | 18                 | 40                 | 32          | 0           | 32          |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh             | 17                    | 05                    | 22                    | 11                 | 04                 | 15                 | 06          | 01          | 07          |
| 6    | Delhi                    | 45                    | 15                    | 60                    | 36                 | 0                  | 36                 | 09          | 15          | 24          |
| 7    | Gauhati                  | 18                    | 06                    | 24                    | 15                 | 06                 | 21                 | 03          | 0           | 03          |
| 8    | Gujarat                  | 39                    | 13                    | 52                    | 27                 | 0                  | 27                 | 12          | 13          | 25          |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh         | 10                    | 03                    | 13                    | 09                 | 01                 | 10                 | 01          | 02          | 03          |
| 10   | Jammu &Kashmir           | 13                    | 04                    | 17                    | 08                 | 0                  | 08                 | 05          | 04          | 09          |
| 11   | Jharkhand                | 19                    | 06                    | 25                    | 17                 | 02                 | 19                 | 02          | 04          | 06          |
| 12   | Karnataka                | 47                    | 15                    | 62                    | 19                 | 21                 | 40                 | 28          | -06         | 22          |
| 13   | Kerala                   | 35                    | 12                    | 47                    | 27                 | 05                 | 32                 | 08          | 07          | 15          |
| 14   | Madhya Pradesh           | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 31                 | 0                  | 31                 | 09          | 13          | 22          |
| 15   | Madras                   | 56                    | 19                    | 75                    | 46                 | 09                 | 55                 | 10          | 10          | 20          |
| 16   | Manipur                  | 04                    | 01                    | 05                    | 04                 | 0                  | 04                 | 0           | 01          | 01          |
| 17   | Meghalaya                | 03                    | 01                    | 04                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 0           | 01          | 01          |
| 18   | Orissa                   | 20                    | 07                    | 27                    | 14                 | 0                  | 14                 | 06          | 07          | 13          |
| 19   | Patna                    | 40                    | 13                    | 53                    | 26                 | 0                  | 26                 | 14          | 13          | 27          |
| 20   | Punjab &Haryana          | 64                    | 21                    | 85                    | 38                 | 17                 | 55                 | 26          | 04          | 30          |
| 21   | Rajasthan                | 38                    | 12                    | 50                    | 21                 | 0                  | 21                 | 17          | 12          | 29          |
| 22   | Sikkim                   | 03                    | 0                     | 03                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 23   | Telangana                | 18                    | 06                    | 24                    | 12                 | 01                 | 13                 | 06          | 05          | 11          |
| 24   | Tripura                  | 04                    | 0                     | 04                    | 03                 | 0                  | 03                 | 01          | 0           | 01          |
| 25   | Uttarakhand              | 09                    | 02                    | 11                    | 09                 | 01                 | 10                 | 0           | 01          | 01          |
|      | Total                    | 771                   | 308                   | 1079                  | 538                | 140                | 678                | 233         | 168         | 401         |

Annexure-V

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (B) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  1593    FOR  ANSWER  ON  28.07.2023  REGARDING  'VACANCY  AND CASES IN COURTS'.

Sanctioned  Strength  (SS),  Working  Strength(WS)  and  Vacancy  (V)  position  of  Judicial Officers in District and Subordinate Judiciary for last three years *

|                     | As on 31.12.2020   | As on 31.12.2020   | As on 31.12.2020   | As on 31.12.2021   | As on 31.12.2021   | As on 31.12.2021   | As on 31.12.2022   | As on 31.12.2022   | As on 31.12.2022   | As on 25.07.2023   | As on 25.07.2023   | As on 25.07.2023   |
|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Name of State       | SS                 | WS                 | V                  | SS                 | WS                 | V                  | SS                 | WS                 | V                  | SS                 | WS                 | V                  |
| Andaman and Nicobar | 0                  | 13                 | -13                | 0                  | 13                 | -13                | 0                  | 13                 | -13                | 0                  | 13                 | -13                |
| Andhra Pradesh      | 607                | 510                | 97                 | 607                | 492                | 115                | 607                | 534                | 73                 | 618                | 544                | 74                 |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 41                 | 32                 | 9                  | 41                 | 32                 | 9                  | 41                 | 33                 | 8                  | 42                 | 33                 | 9                  |
| Assam               | 466                | 412                | 54                 | 467                | 436                | 31                 | 485                | 425                | 60                 | 485                | 443                | 42                 |
| Bihar               | 1936               | 1433               | 503                | 1954               | 1394               | 560                | 2016               | 1349               | 667                | 2016               | 1554               | 462                |
| Chandigarh          | 30                 | 26                 | 4                  | 30                 | 30                 | 0                  | 30                 | 30                 | 0                  | 30                 | 29                 | 1                  |
| Chhattisgarh        | 480                | 387                | 93                 | 482                | 409                | 73                 | 527                | 437                | 90                 | 556                | 431                | 125                |
| D &NHaveli          | 3                  | 2                  | 1                  | 3                  | 2                  | 1                  | 3                  | 2                  | 1                  | 3                  | 2                  | 1                  |
| Daman &Diu          | 4                  | 4                  | 0                  | 4                  | 4                  | 0                  | 4                  | 4                  | 0                  | 4                  | 4                  | 0                  |
| Delhi               | 799                | 649                | 150                | 862                | 689                | 173                | 884                | 681                | 203                | 887                | 706                | 181                |
| Goa                 | 50                 | 40                 | 10                 | 50                 | 40                 | 10                 | 50                 | 40                 | 10                 | 50                 | 40                 | 10                 |
| Gujarat             | 1521               | 1152               | 369                | 1523               | 1123               | 400                | 1582               | 1151               | 431                | 1582               | 1186               | 396                |
| Haryana             | 772                | 493                | 279                | 772                | 482                | 290                | 772                | 464                | 308                | 772                | 576                | 196                |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 175                | 161                | 14                 | 175                | 160                | 15                 | 179                | 163                | 16                 | 179                | 160                | 19                 |
| Jammu and Kashmir   | 296                | 255                | 41                 | 300                | 241                | 59                 | 314                | 223                | 91                 | 314                | 227                | 87                 |
| Jharkhand           | 675                | 544                | 131                | 675                | 523                | 152                | 694                | 508                | 186                | 694                | 503                | 191                |
| Karnataka           | 1357               | 1071               | 286                | 1363               | 1077               | 286                | 1365               | 1132               | 233                | 1367               | 1125               | 242                |
| Kerala              | 538                | 470                | 68                 | 569                | 488                | 81                 | 595                | 473                | 122                | 603                | 523                | 80                 |
| Ladakh              | 16                 | 8                  | 8                  | 17                 | 9                  | 8                  | 17                 | 9                  | 8                  | 17                 | 9                  | 8                  |
| Lakshadweep         | 3                  | 3                  | 0                  | 3                  | 3                  | 0                  | 4                  | 4                  | 0                  | 4                  | 3                  | 1                  |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 2021               | 1610               | 411                | 2021               | 1552               | 469                | 2021               | 1649               | 372                | 2028               | 1607               | 421                |

| Maharashtra   |   2190 |   1940 |   250 |   2190 |   1940 |   250 |   2190 |   1940 |   250 |   2190 |   1940 |   250 |
|---------------|--------|--------|-------|--------|--------|-------|--------|--------|-------|--------|--------|-------|
| Manipur       |     54 |     36 |    18 |     59 |     42 |    17 |     59 |     42 |    17 |     59 |     42 |    17 |
| Meghalaya     |     97 |     49 |    48 |     97 |     49 |    48 |     99 |     57 |    42 |     99 |     57 |    42 |
| Mizoram       |     64 |     43 |    21 |     65 |     42 |    23 |     74 |     41 |    33 |     74 |     41 |    33 |
| Nagaland      |     33 |     26 |     7 |     34 |     24 |    10 |     34 |     24 |    10 |     34 |     24 |    10 |
| Odisha        |    950 |    756 |   194 |    976 |    785 |   191 |   1001 |    767 |   234 |   1003 |    808 |   195 |
| Puducherry    |     26 |     11 |    15 |     26 |     11 |    15 |     28 |     11 |    17 |     29 |     11 |    18 |
| Punjab        |    692 |    593 |    99 |    692 |    607 |    85 |    797 |    589 |   208 |    797 |    587 |   210 |
| Rajasthan     |   1489 |   1292 |   197 |   1548 |   1274 |   274 |   1587 |   1256 |   331 |   1616 |   1358 |   258 |
| Sikkim        |     25 |     20 |     5 |     28 |     20 |     8 |     30 |     21 |     9 |     35 |     23 |    12 |
| Tamil Nadu    |   1298 |   1049 |   249 |   1316 |   1082 |   234 |   1340 |   1068 |   272 |   1364 |   1046 |   318 |
| Telangana     |    474 |    378 |    96 |    474 |    425 |    49 |    560 |    410 |   150 |    560 |    415 |   145 |
| Tripura       |    120 |     97 |    23 |    122 |     97 |    25 |    128 |    108 |    20 |    128 |    109 |    19 |
| Uttar Pradesh |   3634 |   2581 |  1053 |   3634 |   2542 |  1092 |   3647 |   2474 |  1173 |   3694 |   2484 |  1210 |
| Uttarakhand   |    297 |    255 |    42 |    299 |    271 |    28 |    299 |    269 |    30 |    299 |    277 |    22 |
| West Bengal   |   1014 |    918 |    96 |   1014 |    918 |    96 |   1014 |    918 |    96 |   1014 |    918 |    96 |
| TOTAL         |  24247 |  19319 |  4928 |  24492 |  19328 |  5164 |  25077 |  19319 |  5758 |  25246 |  19858 |  5388 |

*Source: MIS portal, Department of Justice