UP accounts for 20% of 3cr pending court cases

If the PM’s proposed war against the scourge of a three crore pendency in courts were to begin somewhere, Uttar Pradesh should be the place. For it accounts for 61 lakh pending cases, that is 20% of the cases pending in high courts and trial courts across the states.

The Allahabad high court, the largest in the country with a sanctioned strength of 160 judges, faces a piquant situation. Nearly 45% of judges posts, that is 72, are vacant even though the HC accounts for 9,35,425 pending cases out of an all-India total of 39,55,224 pending in all HCs, which is 23.65%.

Latest statistics released by the Supreme Court on Thursday with a cover note from the Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan saying, “Filling up of more vacancies in HCs and subordinate courts will go a long way in reducing the pendency in these courts”, presents an equally pitiable condition in the trial courts in the BSP-ruled state.

The state has sanctioned 2,181 judicial officers’ posts for the trial courts, but 25%, that is 538 posts, are lying vacant. Not surprisingly, these courts account for 19.57%, that is 52.36 lakh, of the country-wide pendency of 2.67 crore civil and criminal cases pending in the subordinate judiciary. Though the CJI has hoped that filling up of vacancies would go a long way in reducing the pendency, it is the collegium headed by him which alone can initiate the process for appointment of HC judges.
Source:- The Times of India 21 August 2009 P.15 Delhi
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