Lok Sabha Question No. 854 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-26
Subject: Pending Cases in Various Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Rahul Kaswan, Shri Hibi Eden, Shri Khalilur Rahaman

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †854 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 26 TH  JULY, 2024

## PENDING CASES IN VARIOUS COURTS

†854.    Shri Rahul Kaswan:

Shri Hibi Eden:

Shri Khalilur Rahaman:

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

- (a) whether there is a huge backlog of cases in different courts of the country;
- (b) if so, the total number of cases pending in Supreme Court and High Courts and Lower Courts, District Courts, State/UT-wise including West Bengal;
- (c) the number of cases disposed by different courts in Rajasthan during the last five years;
- (d) the reasons identified for the increasing backlog of cases; and
- (e) the details of steps being taken for speedy disposal of cases pending in different courts?

## 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) & (b): As  per information available on National Judicial  Data Grid (NJDG), the backlog of cases in different courts of the country is as follows:

|   S. No. | Name of Court                   | Total no. of pending cases   |
|----------|---------------------------------|------------------------------|
|        1 | Supreme Court                   | 84,045                       |
|        2 | High Courts                     | 60,11,678                    |
|        3 | District and Subordinate Courts | 4,53,51,913                  |

The  detailed  statement  showing  State/UT-wise  pending  cases  in  District Courts including West Bengal is placed at Annexure-I.

(c): The  detailed  statement  showing  number  of  cases  disposed  by  different courts in Rajasthan during the last five years is placed at Annexure-II.

(d): There are several reasons that lead to pendency of cases in courts 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. Moreover, in case of pendency of criminal  cases,  the  criminal  justice  system  functions  on  assistance  by  various agencies  viz.  Police,  Prosecution,  Forensic  Labs,  Handwriting  Experts  and Medico-Legal  Experts.  Delay  in  providing  assistance  by  allied  agencies  also entails delay in disposal of cases.

(e): The resolution of pending cases in courts is within the exclusive domain of the  judiciary.  However,  the  Government  is  committed  towards  facilitating  an ecosystem for expeditious disposal of cases by judiciary and reducing pendency as mandated under Article 21 of the Constitution. To this end, the Government set up the  National  Mission  for  Justice  Delivery  and  Legal  Reforms  in  2011, with  the twin objectives of increasing access by reducing delays and arrears in the system and enhancing accountability through structural changes and by setting performance  standards  and  capacities.    The  Mission  has  been  pursuing  a  coordinated  approach  for  phased  liquidation  of  arrears  and  pendency  in  judicial administration,  which,  inter-alia,  involves  improved  infrastructure  for  courts including  computerization,  increase  in  strength  of  subordinate  judiciary,  policy and legislative measures in the areas prone to excessive litigation, re-engineering of court procedure for quick disposal of cases and emphasis on human resource development.

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Annexure-I

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) AND\_(B) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †854   FOR ANSWER ON 26.07.2024 REGARDING 'PENDING CASES IN VARIOUS COURTS'.

## Detailed statement showing State/UT-wise pending cases in District Courts

| S.No.   | State/UT            |   Total no. of pending cases |
|---------|---------------------|------------------------------|
| 1       | Uttar Pradesh       |                     11848518 |
| 2       | Maharashtra         |                      5461530 |
| 3       | Bihar               |                      3567635 |
| 4       | West Bengal         |                      3125326 |
| 5       | Rajasthan           |                      2332551 |
| 6       | Karnataka           |                      2032978 |
| 7       | Madhya Pradesh      |                      2013541 |
| 8       | Kerala              |                      1798695 |
| 9       | Odisha              |                      1630601 |
| 10      | Gujarat             |                      1538469 |
| 11      | Tamil Nadu          |                      1489128 |
| 12      | Haryana             |                      1426887 |
| 13      | Delhi               |                      1321447 |
| 14      | Telangana           |                       929450 |
| 15      | Punjab              |                       871930 |
| 16      | Andhra Pradesh      |                       870348 |
| 17      | Himachal Pradesh    |                       648736 |
| 18      | Jharkhand           |                       550013 |
| 19      | Assam               |                       466775 |
| 20      | Chhattisgarh        |                       413499 |
| 21      | Uttarakhand         |                       369534 |
| 22      | Jammu and Kashmir   |                       321212 |
| 23      | Chandigarh          |                       111488 |
| 24      | Goa                 |                        59121 |
| 25      | Tripura             |                        49625 |
| 26      | Puducherry          |                        34829 |
| 27      | Meghalaya           |                        15516 |
| 28      | Manipur             |                        12798 |
| 29      | Arunachal Pradesh   |                        11291 |
| 30      | Andaman and Nicobar |                         8962 |
| 31      | Mizoram             |                         5456 |
| 32      | DNH at Silvasa      |                         4460 |
| 33      | Diu and Daman       |                         3140 |
| 34      | Nagaland            |                         2946 |
| 35      | Sikkim              |                         1774 |
| 36      | Ladakh              |                         1538 |
| 37      | Lakshadweep         |                          166 |
|         | TOTAL               |                     45351913 |

Annexure-II

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (C) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  †854      FOR  ANSWER  ON  26.07.2024 REGARDING 'PENDING CASES IN VARIOUS COURTS'.

Number Of Cases Disposed by Different Courts in Rajasthan during the last 5 years

| Sl. No.   | Name of Court                                | No. of Cases disposed in last 5 years   | No. of Cases disposed in last 5 years   | No. of Cases disposed in last 5 years   | No. of Cases disposed in last 5 years   | No. of Cases disposed in last 5 years   |
|-----------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
|           |                                              | 2019                                    | 2020                                    | 2021                                    | 2022                                    | 2023                                    |
| 1.        | High Court of Rajasthan                      | 1,72,329                                | 84,300                                  | 1,24,930                                | 1,52,310                                | 1,81,945                                |
| 2.        | District and Subordinate Courts in Rajasthan | 15,08,232                               | 7,86,604                                | 11,92,950                               | 10,49,961                               | 10,25,735                               |

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