Judicial Delays in India: Justice on Hold

 Pendency Statistics (as of 2025)

• Total pending cases in Indian judiciary: Over 5 crore

  • Supreme Court: 86,700+ cases

  • High Courts: 63.3 lakh+ cases

  • District/Subordinate Courts: 4.6 crore+ cases

Core Concern

• Civil cases in district courts face the longest delays, despite these courts handling the majority of the litigation burden.

• Reflects a mismatch between caseload and judicial capacity.

Major Causes of Delay

• Infrastructural deficits and shortage of court staff

• Lack of mandated timelines for stages like filing, examination, and hearings

• Frequent adjournments

• Weak case management systems

• Complexities of civil disputes (property, family, contract)

• Inadequate monitoring mechanisms

• Limited cooperation from stakeholders (lawyers, litigants, witnesses)

Justice Delivery by Case Type and Court Tier

• Criminal cases are resolved faster than civil cases across all levels:

  • High Courts: 85.3% criminal cases resolved within 1 year

  • Supreme Court: 79.5%

  • District Courts: 70.6%

• Civil Cases in District Courts:

• Only 38.7% resolved within 1 year

• Nearly 20% extend beyond 5 years

Judicial Strength and Vacancy

• Sanctioned posts across judiciary: 26,927

• Vacant posts: 5,665 (judiciary functions at 79% capacity)

• District court sanctioned strength: 25,771 judges

  • Actual strength far lower

• Judge-to-population ratio:

• Current: 15 judges per 10 lakh

• Even if filled: 19 judges per 10 lakh

• 1987 Law Commission Recommendation: 50 judges per 10 lakh

Institutional Reforms Suggested

• Case management systems with strict scheduling

• Performance monitoring for courts

• Digitisation and e-courts expansion

• Timelines for civil cases and discouraging adjournments

• Filling of vacancies on a mission-mode basis

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

• Lok Adalats, mediation, arbitration offer fast, cost-effective solutions

• National Lok Adalat performance (2021–March 2025):

  • Total cases resolved: 27.5 crore

    • Pre-litigation cases: 22.21 crore

    • Pending court cases: 5.34 crore

• Organised at all levels (taluk, district, High Courts) on a fixed date

Quotes & Perspectives

• "Justice delayed is justice denied" – Classical maxim underpinning the issue

• President Droupadi Murmu (2023): Warned against "black coat syndrome" — the hesitation of common people to approach courts

Judicial delays in India represent a structural crisis of access and efficiency. Addressing this requires urgent investment in human resources, digital infrastructure, case prioritisation frameworks, and a robust push toward alternative dispute mechanisms like Lok Adalats and mediation.