NEW DELHI: Pendency of cases in Supreme Court has increased 35% in the past five years, from 59,859 in 2019 to 80,765 till the end of 2023, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed Parliament on Thursday. In absolute terms, the pending cases have increased by over 20,900 in the past five years, increasing pressure on the country’s top court despite the fact that it has been functioning at full strength.
In the 23 high courts across the country, case pendency increased from 46.8 lakh in 2019 to over 62 lakh in 2023, marking a rise of more than 15 lakh cases and a 33% increase.
The largest pendency, however, is in subordinate courts at 4.4 crore cases till the end of 2023. Compared with 2019, when the lower judiciary had 3.2 crore cases pending, the rise in pendency is by more than 1.2 crore cases, an increase of 38%, according to the information shared by govt.
“There are several reasons that lead to pendency of cases in courts, which include availability of physical infrastructure and supporting court staff, complexity of facts involved, nature of evidence, cooperation of stakeholders viz. bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures,” the law minister said.
The 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, Meghwal added.
The minister admitted that lack of coordination between agencies involved in the criminal justice system often leads to pendency. Though the criminal justice system functions on assistance by various agencies viz. Police, prosecution, forensic labs and medico-legal experts, the minister said the resolution of pending cases in courts is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary.
In the 23 high courts across the country, case pendency increased from 46.8 lakh in 2019 to over 62 lakh in 2023, marking a rise of more than 15 lakh cases and a 33% increase.
The largest pendency, however, is in subordinate courts at 4.4 crore cases till the end of 2023. Compared with 2019, when the lower judiciary had 3.2 crore cases pending, the rise in pendency is by more than 1.2 crore cases, an increase of 38%, according to the information shared by govt.
“There are several reasons that lead to pendency of cases in courts, which include availability of physical infrastructure and supporting court staff, complexity of facts involved, nature of evidence, cooperation of stakeholders viz. bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures,” the law minister said.
The 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, Meghwal added.
The minister admitted that lack of coordination between agencies involved in the criminal justice system often leads to pendency. Though the criminal justice system functions on assistance by various agencies viz. Police, prosecution, forensic labs and medico-legal experts, the minister said the resolution of pending cases in courts is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary.