25th May, 2018

Prepared by Research Intern

Suma Dadke
1st Year, BA LLB (Hons.)
Symbiosis Law School Pune
Prepared for FDR

DELAY IN ADJUDICATION

Indian judicial system is well known for its issue of pendency. Right from the courts
of first instance to the Apex court, there are cases that have been pending for years
together.

The Law Commission of India in its 245th Report, Arrears and Backlog: Creating
Additional Judicial (WO) manpower, define pendency as all cases instituted but not
disposed of, regardless of when the case was instituted. It is a blanket term that
includes arrears1 and delays2 and therefore consists of the universal set of cases which
have been filed and not been disposed of.

Statistics detailing pendency in Indian Courts are as follows -

LOWER COURTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF PENDING CASES DURATION AND CASE WISE IN

DISTRICT AND SUBORDINATE COURTS

Table 1 - Total Number of Pending Cases Duration and Nature Wise in Lower Courts

Total
Civil Criminal
Sr. No. Duration Number of Percentage
Cases Cases
Cases
1. Less than 38,08,542 86,98,036 1,25,06,578 46.54

1 Some delayed cases might be in the system for longer than the normal time, for valid reasons. Those
cases that show unwarranted delay will be referred to as arrears.
2 A case that has been in the Court/judicial system for longer than the normal time that it should take
for a case of that type to be disposed of.

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 25th May, 2018
Prepared by Research Intern
Suma Dadke
1st Year, BA LLB (Hons.)
Symbiosis Law School Pune
Prepared for FDR

2 years
Over 2
2. 24,89,692 52,70,442 77,60,134 28.87
years
Over 5
3. 12,19,503 31,27,717 43,47,220 16.18
years
Over 10
4. 5,91,990 16,69,281 22,61,271 8.41
years
TOTAL 81,09,727 1,87,65,476 2,68,75,203 100

Source: NJDG as on 29th May, 2018

TOTAL NUMBER OF PENDING
CASES NATURE WISE IN DISTRICT AND SUBORDINATE COURTS IN
EACH STATE

Table 2 - Total Number of Pending Cases Nature Wise in Lower Courts In Each State

Sr. No. State Civil Criminal Total

1. Andaman & Nicobar 3,296 7,889 11,185
2. Andhra Pradesh 2,70,435 2,09,042 4,79,477
3. Assam 58,688 1,84,247 2,42,935
4. Bihar 2,58,534 14,86,211 17,44,745
5. Chandigarh 24,280 16,385 40,665
6. Chhattisgarh 56,752 2,08,599 2,65,351
7. Dadra Nagar Haveli 1,453 2,080 3,533
8. Daman & Diu 958 820 1,778
9. Delhi 1,84,962 4,83,834 6,68,796
10. Goa 21,529 20,022 41,551
11. Gujarat 5,06,713 10,58,922 15,65,653
12. Haryana 2,28,972 3,23,057 5,52,029
13. Himachal Pradesh 1,10,844 1,26,149 2,36,993
14. Jammu & Kashmir 59,046 67,801 1,26,847
15. Jharkhand 56,180 2,79,531 3,35,711
16. Karnataka 6,63,758 7,48,202 14,11,960
17. Kerala 3,83,192 8,60,017 12,43,209
18. Madhya Pradesh 3,13,408 10,66,206 13,79,614
19. Maharashtra 11,36,333 22,33,632 33,69,965
20. Manipur 5,632 4,434 10,066
21. Meghalaya 2,074 4,716 6,790
22. Mizoram 1,516 2,391 3,907
23. Orissa 2,45,492 8,12,980 10,58,472
24. Punjab 2,14,248 3,34,712 5,48,960
25. Rajasthan 3,99,286 10,56,397 14,55,683
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 25th May, 2018
Prepared by Research Intern
Suma Dadke
1st Year, BA LLB (Hons.)
Symbiosis Law School Pune
Prepared for FDR

26. Sikkim 635 887 1,522

27. Tamil Nadu 6,02,702 4,47,875 10,50,577
28. Telangana 2,13,071 2,61,413 4,74,484
29. Tripura 7,972 16,395 24,367
30. Uttar Pradesh 15,71,737 48,84,770 64,56,507
31. Uttarakhand 33,343 1,89,996 2,23,339
32. West Bengal 4,80,350 13,56,845 18,37,195

Source: NJDG as on 29th May, 2018

HIGH COURTS

TOTAL NUMBER OF PENDING CASES DURATION AND NATURE WISE IN

HIGH COURTS

Table 3 - Total Number of Pending Cases Duration and Nature Wise in High Courts

Sr. No. Duration Civil Criminal Writ Cases Total Number Percentage
Cases Cases of Cases
Less than 2
1. 3,35,414 2,83,559 3,59,256 9,78,229 22.79
years
Over 2
2. 4,80,666 2,89,798 4,70,823 12,41,287 28.91
years
Over 5
3. 4,31,051 2,72,911 3,64,041 10,68,003 24.88
years
Over 10
4. 4,65,644 2,80,202 2,59,886 10,05,732 23.43
years
TOTAL 17,12,775 11,26,470 14,54,006 42,93,251 100

Source: NJDG as on 30th May, 2018

TOTAL NUMBER OF PENDING CASES NATURE WISE IN EACH STATE

HIGH COURT

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 25th May, 2018
Prepared by Research Intern
Suma Dadke
1st Year, BA LLB (Hons.)
Symbiosis Law School Pune
Prepared for FDR

Table 4 - Total Number of Pending Cases Nature Wise in Each State High Court

Civil Criminal Writ Total

Sr. No. High Court
Cases Cases Cases Cases
1. Allahabad 1,54,300 3,05,018 2,47,905 7,07,223
2. Bombay 3,02,656 50,704 1,10,714 4,64,074
3. Calcutta 1,06,717 43,284 85,203 2,35,204
4. Chattisgarh 17,664 24,184 20,286 62,134
5. Delhi 30,172 19,817 22,272 77,261
6. Gauhati 13,321 7,229 15,565 36,115
7. Gujarat 43,069 32,527 34,113 1,09,709
8. Himachal Pradesh 25,407 6,235 5,707 37,349
9. Hyderabad 1,30,252 50,488 1,69,412 3,50,152
10. Jammu and Kashmir 76,354 8,280 0 84,634
11. Jharkhand 15,364 43,388 30,480 89,232
12. Karnataka 1,20,757 32,123 68,898 2,21,778
13. Kerala 80,614 39,569 67,771 1,87,954
14. Madhya Pradesh 1,07,070 1,20,300 90,236 3,17,606
15. Madras 1,28,196 42,105 1,44,044 3,14,345
16. Manipur 14,445 1,546 0 15,991
17. Meghalaya 301 37 627 965
18. Orissa 42,684 41,217 83,040 1,66,941
19. Patna 30,195 57,342 60,974 1,48,511
20. Punjab and Haryana 1,98,807 1,23,260 74,433 3,96,500
21. Rajasthan 85,797 71,589 1,05,256 2,62,642
22. Sikkim 58 66 108 232
23. Tripura 991 453 1,568 3,012
24. Uttarakhand 10,457 10,303 15,047 35,807

Source: NJDG as on 30th May, 2018

SUPREME COURT

As on 4th May, 2018, there were 54,013 cases pending in the Apex Court.3

3 https://www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in/php/Statistics/pm04052018.pdf
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25th May, 2018
Prepared by Research Intern
Suma Dadke
1st Year, BA LLB (Hons.)
Symbiosis Law School Pune
Prepared for FDR

Our Constitution provides for an independent and efficient justice delivery system.
Delay in disposal of cases, not only creates disillusionment amongst the litigants, but
also undermines the capability of the system to impart justice in an efficient and
effective manner. Ways and means are required to be found out urgently, to bring
them to a manageable limit, so as to sustain the faith of common man.

Some suggested reforms are as follows –

1. Establishment of Fast Track Courts.

2. Shift system in subordinate courts.
3. Establishment of more mobile courts.
4. Encouraging ADR mechanisms instead of litigation.
5. Encouraging plea-bargaining for compoundable offences.
6. Appointment of judges and filling up of vacancies.

Some successful reforms that have contributed to reducing the burden on the judicial
courts are the establishment of Lok Adalats and Gram Nyayalayas.