10 Judges’ Posts Vacant
Srinagar, Nov 29: Jammu and Kashmir’s judicial system faces mounting challenges, with pending cases in the High Court of J&K and Ladakh reaching 3.32 lakh by November 2024, according to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, informed the Rajya Sabha that 44,894 cases were added to the backlog this year. The pending cases include 1,08,222 civil and 2,24,305 criminal cases, sourced from the National Judicial Data Grid.
The High Court, with a sanctioned strength of 25 Judges, currently operates with just 15, leaving 10 vacancies. District and subordinate courts are also understaffed, with 45 judicial officer posts vacant.
Additionally, none of the 20 notified Gram Nyayalayas in J&K are operational, further straining the system. Family courts reported 15,192 pending cases by November, despite disposing of 6,057 cases this year.
Modernization efforts are lagging, with only 86 video conferencing systems installed in 218 courtrooms. Another 132 VC systems are required to enhance efficiency.
The rising case pendency highlights the urgent need for judicial reforms, filling vacancies, and addressing infrastructure gaps to ensure timely justice delivery in the region.
