Supreme Court emphasizes backlog in high courts, stating that functioning at half strength makes it unrealistic to expect all matters to be handled swiftly.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court recently highlighted a persistent challenge in the Indian judicial system, the delayed disposal of cases in high courts. On Tuesday, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that high courts are not under the supervisory control of the Supreme Court and cannot be expected to expeditiously handle all matters, especially when functioning at half their sanctioned strength.
This statement came while the bench declined to entertain a plea seeking a direction for the Allahabad High Court to expedite a pending appeal that had been in the court for over 13 years.
Supreme Court’s Observations
Justice Nath pointed out that the expectation for high courts to dispose of matters quickly is unrealistic under the current circumstances. According to him, during his days as an advocate, practicing before the Allahabad High Court required enormous effort just to get matters listed. He explained:
“Two applications are nothing. You may have to file hundreds of applications to get your matter listed.”
The bench allowed the petitioner to approach the high court directly with a request for early listing, emphasizing that such requests would be considered by the high court in accordance with its procedures.
Judicial Vacancies and Its Impact
The Supreme Court’s remarks come against the backdrop of a shortage of judges. As per the Law Ministry data, the sanctioned strength of judges across high courts in India is 1,122, but currently, only 792 judges are functioning, leaving 330 vacancies as of September 1.
This shortage has led to a huge backlog of cases, making it difficult for high courts to dispose of matters quickly, regardless of urgency.
