4.80 crore cases pending in lower courts across India, Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha

Why in news

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha regarding the massive backlog of 4.80 crore cases in lower courts and 4,855 vacant judge positions across India.

Background

As of December 1, 2025, the Supreme Court has 90,694 cases under trial. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of judicial officer vacancies in district and subordinate courts, while the Allahabad High Court has 60 vacant judge positions and a backlog of 11,66,971 cases.

Facts for Prelims

• Fact4.80 crore cases are currently pending in lower courts across India.
• FactThere are 4,855 vacant judge positions across India's district courts.
• FactThe Supreme Court has 90,694 cases under trial as of December 1, 2025.
• PlaceAllahabad High Court has the highest number of vacant judge positions (60) and a backlog of 11,66,971 cases.
• PlaceUttar Pradesh leads the states and union territories with the most judicial officer vacancies.

For Mains

Q. Discuss the systemic causes of judicial pendency in India and suggest measures to enhance the efficiency of the subordinate judiciary.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

• Institutional bottleneck: Shortage of judicial officers and infrastructure in district and subordinate courts
• Procedural delays: High volume of cases in lower courts affecting the 'Right to Speedy Trial'
• Resource disparity: Uneven distribution of judicial vacancies across states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat

Keywords: Judicial Pendency · Subordinate Judiciary · Access to Justice · Judicial Infrastructure · Right to Speedy Trial

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