{"id":96247,"date":"2025-09-29T04:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T04:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=96247"},"modified":"2025-09-29T04:48:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T04:48:00","slug":"justice-on-hold-india-court-crippled-by-a-million-case-backlog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=96247","title":{"rendered":"Justice on hold: India court crippled by a million-case backlog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 43 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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The Allahabad High Court \u2013 one of India\u2019s oldest and most prestigious, once graced by figures like India\u2019s first premier Jawaharlal Nehru and future Supreme Court judges \u2013 is back in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

This time, though, for very different reasons.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0more than a million cases pending, it is among the most overburdened courts in the country. Matters ranging from criminal trials to property and family disputes have been pending here for decades, leaving thousands of people in India\u2019s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, trapped in legal limbo.<\/p>\n

Consider Babu Ram Rajput, 73, a retired government employee who has been battling a property dispute for over three decades.<\/p>\n

He bought land at an auction in 1992, but the previous owner challenged the sale \u2013 and the case remains unresolved to this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope my case is decided while I\u2019m still alive,\u201d Mr Rajput says.<\/p>\n

The high court\u2019s struggle mirrors a broader crisis in India\u2019s judiciary, where too few judges and a constant flood of cases have caused crippling delays.<\/p>\n

With a sanctioned strength of 160 that experts say has never been completely filled, the court is severely understaffed. Delays in police investigations, frequent adjournments, and poor infrastructure further\u00a0add to the backlog, leaving the system stretched beyond capacity.<\/p>\n

Each judge faces hundreds of cases a day \u2013 sometimes over 1,000. With just five working hours, that\u2019s less than a minute per case. In practice, many aren\u2019t heard at all.<\/p>\n

Over a million cases are pending at the Allahabad High Court<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lawyers say urgent matters \u2013 like bail pleas or eviction stays \u2013 are heard first, pushing older cases further down the list.<\/p>\n

Senior lawyer Syed Farman Naqvi says courts often issue interim or temporary orders in urgent cases \u2013 but once the immediate need is met, the matter lingers as new cases pile up.<\/p>\n

Retired judge Amar Saran says the mounting backlog has forced judges into a \u201ccut-grass approach\u201d \u2013 issuing quick, standard orders, from nudging the government to act to directing lower courts to handle the matter.<\/p>\n

In April, the court confronted the scale of its delays while ruling on a rape and murder case pending for over 40 years. By the verdicts delivered, four of the five convicted men had died. Ordering the sole surviving convict to surrender, the court admitted it regretted not ruling sooner.<\/p>\n

The backlog has even prompted legal action. Earlier this year, a group of Allahabad High Court lawyers petitioned for more judicial appointments, calling the court \u201cparalysed\u201d by a shortage of judges that leaves cases lingering for years.<\/p>\n

The crisis has caught the attention of India\u2019s top court. In January, the Supreme Court called it \u201cworrisome\u201d that case listings at the Allahabad High Court are unpredictable, saying the system had completely collapsed.<\/p>\n

Uncertain hearing dates hit people hard, especially in vast Uttar Pradesh. Many travel hundreds of kilometres to Prayagraj where the court is located, on just a few days\u2019 notice for their hearing.<\/p>\n

Mr Rajput is from Kanpur, 200km (125 miles) from Prayagraj. He spends around four hours travelling each time his case is listed \u2013 yet can never be sure it will actually be heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m over 70,\u201d he says. \u201cI often learn just days in advance that my case is listed, \u201cmaking travel a hassle.\u201d He adds that many times his case isn\u2019t heard because other matters take up the whole day.<\/p>\n

A man preparing court files outside the Allahabad High Court<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lawyers have long urged the court to set up another bench \u2013 a branch of the high court in a different city to ease access and speed up hearings \u2013 in the western part of the state. Currently, an additional bench exists in the city of Lucknow. A similar recommendation was made in 1985 by a government commission, but it has yet to be implemented.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the state government reportedly\u00a0urged the high court\u00a0to set up another bench, but the letter was later withdrawn for unknown reasons. The push for more benches isn\u2019t limited to Uttar Pradesh; a 2009 Law Commission report said all states would benefit from additional high court branches.<\/p>\n

While new benches could help long-term, experts say quicker fixes \u2013 like appointing more judges \u2013 are needed.<\/p>\n

But the process is slow and complex: senior high court judges first shortlist candidates, then the list is reviewed by the state and federal governments, and the Chief Justice of India. After this, senior Supreme Court judges forward the final list to the federal government for appointment.<\/p>\n

Experts say picking the right candidates is often challenging. Former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Govind Mathur notes that chief justices, often appointed from outside the state, may not know local lawyers or judges, complicating recommendations. Names can be rejected at any stage and remain confidential until the Supreme Court forwards them to the government.<\/p>\n

Last year, the Supreme Court\u00a0recommended just one appointment\u00a0for the Allahabad High Court, despite nearly half the seats being vacant. Some progress came this year with 15 new judges, but almost half the posts remain empty after retirements and transfers. Earlier this month, 26 more names were sent to the government, raising hopes \u2013 but the impact on the backlog remains uncertain.<\/p>\n

Experts say the backlog is so huge that even at full strength, each judge would handle over 7,000 pending cases. Some progress came this year, after 40 new judges were added \u2013 24 of whom were appointed last week \u2013 but the backlog persists.<\/p>\n

Mr Mathur says that deeper judicial reforms \u2013 like a \u201cuniform policy for hearing and disposing of cases\u201d \u2013 are essential, rather than leaving it to individual judges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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