Supreme Court Faces Record 83,000 Pending Cases; 5 Crore Backlog in High and Trial Courts

The Supreme Court of India has 82,831 pending cases, marking the highest number of pending cases to date. In the past year alone, 27,604 new pending cases have been recorded.

Increase in Pending Cases Despite New Filings

According to a report by the Times of India, 38,995 new cases were filed in the Supreme Court in 2024. Of these, 37,158 cases were resolved. Over the last 10 years, the number of pending cases has increased eightfold. However, there was a reduction in pending cases in 2015 and 2017.

High Court Pending Cases Surge

In 2014, there were a total of 4.1 million pending cases in the High Court, which has now risen to 5.9 million. In the past 10 years, there has been only one instance where the number of pending cases decreased. In 2014, there were 26 million pending cases in trial courts, which have now increased to 45 million.

Reduction in Pending Cases Due to Paperless System

In 2013, the number of pending cases in the Supreme Court increased from 50,000 to 66,000. However, under Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and R.M. Lodha in 2014, the number decreased to 63,000. In the following year, 4,000 cases were resolved, reducing the number to 59,000.

Paperless Court Proposal and Impact

In 2017, Justice J.S. Kehar proposed a paperless court system for case management. This led to a faster resolution of cases, reducing the number of pending cases to 56,000. However, in 2018, the number of pending cases increased again to 57,000.

Increase in Judges Did Not Reduce Case Backlog

In 2009, the number of judges in the Supreme Court was increased from 26 to 31. Despite this, the number of pending cases did not decrease. During Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s tenure in 2019, the government increased the number of judges from 31 to 34 under parliamentary law. Even then, the number of cases rose from 57,000 to 60,000.

COVID-19 Impact on Supreme Court

The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the Supreme Court’s judicial system in 2020, when Justice S.A. Bobde was the Chief Justice. Although virtual proceedings began shortly afterward, the number of pending cases increased to 65,000. In 2021, the pandemic further impacted the court’s proceedings, causing the number of pending cases to rise to 70,000, and by the end of 2022, it is expected to reach 79,000. During this period, Chief Justices Ranjan Gogoi and U.U. Lalit retired, and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud became the Chief Justice.