Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted that 21% of posts remain vacant in district courts, calling for urgent government action. He emphasized the need for greater investment in the judiciary to address understaffing and improve efficiency. Vacancies at the district level impact timely justice and burden the legal system. His remarks underline the importance of strengthening judicial infrastructure for effective governance.
In a recent interview, former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud urged the government to significantly increase investments in judicial infrastructure to manage the rising caseload.
He noted that approximately 21% of positions in district judiciaries are currently vacant, highlighting a critical need for more judges.
He stated,
“The judge-to-population ratio in India is among the lowest in the world. We simply do not have enough judges in the district judiciary to address the volume of cases that are coming in,”
Justice Chandrachud stressed the importance of appointing more qualified officials and called attention to the inadequate infrastructure funding. He pointed out that 27% of the staffing positions in district judiciaries are unfilled.
He explained,
“In a federal polity, this is managed by the high courts and public service commissions in some states,”
He proposed the introduction of an “All India Judicial Service Examination” to address these vacancies, suggesting,
“States would recruit based on a national examination held annually, with selections made in accordance with merit and applicable reservations.”
He acknowledged that implementing this would require a constitutional amendment, as the recruitment and service conditions for district judges are governed by the state governors.
Justice Chandrachud also emphasized the Supreme Court’s commitment to addressing the needs of the underprivileged, noting that during his tenure, the court processed more bail applications than were filed.
Citing that 21,358 bail applications were disposed of in the last two years, many involving ordinary citizens. He remarked,
“The Supreme Court is not a court for the wealthy; it focuses on the issues faced by the poor,”
Addressing concerns about fairness in judicial proceedings related to religion, he asserted that the perception is incorrect, as the bail decisions are based on individual cases rather than religious identity. Furthermore, he highlighted a hesitation among district courts to grant bail due to a prevailing culture of mistrust.
He stated, adding that incorrect bail decisions can be corrected by higher courts, and judges should not be targeted for their rulings,
“Judges worry about being accused of making decisions for extraneous reasons. We must protect our judges at the lower levels,”
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