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Judicial Vacancies Choking India's Justice Delivery System

Judicial vacancies are severely crippling India's justice delivery system. The increasing number of vacancies and the growing backlog of pending cases highlight a crisis that remains unaddressed.

By Anshumoni Rajkhowa
New Update
Judicial Vacancies in India

Judicial vacancies choking India's justice delivery system | Representative image | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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Judicial vacancies stand as one of the most critical challenges facing our judiciary. Reports indicate that as of April 1, five high courts—Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Gujarat, Bombay, and Calcutta—alone have 171 vacancies. This figure represents 52 percent of the total 327 vacant positions across the 25 high courts in the country. With a total sanctioned strength of 1,114 judges across all high courts, this means that 29.4 percent of these posts remain unfilled.

The implications of these judicial vacancies are profound and far-reaching. With nearly a third of the sanctioned positions unoccupied, the backlog of pending cases continues to grow, increasing delays in the delivery of justice. This judicial bottleneck undermines public confidence in the legal system, as litigants are left waiting for years, sometimes decades, for their cases to be heard and resolved. Furthermore, the strain on the existing judges increases, leading to burnout and decreased efficiency. 

Justice Madan B. Lokur, a former judge of the Supreme Court, attributes one of the main reasons for judicial vacancies to the reluctance of lawyers to accept judgeship. He elaborates on this issue, stating, “The recommendations made by the Supreme Court collegium are pending with the government. I don't know how many of them are pending, but quite a few of them are. Additionally, some lawyers are reluctant to accept judgeship. Good lawyers are not willing to become judges, which is why high courts are finding it difficult to recommend persons for judgeship.”

Justice Lokur has also been a proponent of 'Swachh Nyayalaya,' advocating for cleaner and more conducive court environments. He explains, “The very fact that you are working in a clean environment with good ambience makes you feel like taking up the job and working. We need to create a good environment in and around the courts to ensure that the environment and ambience is conducive not just for the judges and lawyers but also for the litigants.” 

Justice Lokur emphasises that judicial vacancies are not only hindering justice delivery

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