The Supreme Court Today (Feb 3) raised serious concerns about the massive case backlog in the Allahabad High Court, which is operating at half its full strength. With each judge handling 15,000–20,000 cases, the court emphasized the urgent need to fill vacant judge posts. The issue came to light during a 95-year-old woman’s plea, highlighting the severe delays in justice. The court stressed that swift action is necessary to clear over 11.4 lakh pending cases and restore efficiency in the judicial system.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, expressed serious concern over the huge number of pending cases in the Allahabad High Court.
The court emphasized that immediate steps must be taken to fill the vacant judge positions so that justice is not delayed further.
A special Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan highlighted the alarming situation, pointing out that each judge in the Allahabad High Court is handling around 15,000 to 20,000 cases. This has become even more difficult because the High Court is working at only half its full capacity.
“It appears that the High Court of Allahabad is flooded with litigation.”
-Supreme Court
This observation came during the hearing of a case filed by a 95-year-old woman, whose case had been stuck in the Allahabad High Court for many years. She approached the Supreme Court, requesting directions to the High Court to hear her second appeal in a civil case at the earliest.
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However, the Supreme Court clarified that it cannot selectively prioritize one case over thousands of others. It acknowledged that there could be many other cases in a similar pathetic condition, waiting for justice.
“In last one month, we have come across many petitions whose proceedings have been pending before Allahabad High Court since three decades…It appears that the High Court of Allahabad is flooded with litigation. We are informed each judge is with 15-20 thousand cases. The High Court is working with (79) judges; that means it has vacancy of 50 percent. Litigants are waiting…The only way out is to take steps to fill up vacancies, recommending candidates on merit.”
-Justice JB Pardiwala
After listening to the concerns, the Supreme Court directed that the elderly woman’s plea be considered as a representation to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, so that the necessary actions could be taken.
“Let this petition be treated as representation. The Registry shall serve a copy of this order to Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court. The Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court shall take appropriate actions in this regard.”
-Supreme Court
Allahabad High Court is functioning with just 79 judges (including the Chief Justice), while its sanctioned strength is 160 judges. This means that more than 50% of judge positions remain vacant, causing severe delays in justice delivery.
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As of January 1, 2025, the High Court had a backlog of 11,41,687 cases, yet no urgent steps have been taken to fill the judge vacancies and resolve this crisis.
In December 2024, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended only one advocate, Praveen Kumar Giri, for appointment as a High Court judge. His appointment was approved by the Central Government on January 23, 2025.
However, no other recommendations have been made despite the severe shortage of judges and the growing backlog of cases. This has raised serious concerns about the functioning of the judiciary and the urgent need to fill the vacant positions without further delay.
CASE TITLE:
Kamla Bai v. Allahabad High Court and ors.
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