Over 3.2 lakh cases pending in J&K Courts

UT ranks 22nd nationally in district court backlog

Srinagar, July 29: Jammu and Kashmir’s courts are grappling with a substantial backlog of 3,21,212 pending cases across all districts, placing the Union Territory at 22nd position among 37 states and UTs in India regarding district court pendency. This information was disclosed by Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, in response to a Lok Sabha query.
The question, raised by Rahul Kaswan and Hibi Eden of the Indian National Congress and Khalilur Rahaman of All India Trinamool Congress, sought details on the backlog of cases in various courts nationwide. Citing data from the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), Meghwal revealed that the Supreme Court of India has 84,045 pending cases, while High Courts face a backlog of 60,11,678 cases. The lower and subordinate courts are burdened with 4,53,51,913 pending cases.

Meghwal attributed the pendency to several factors, including infrastructure constraints, case complexity, evidence nature, stakeholder cooperation, and procedural issues. He also highlighted the lack of prescribed timeframes for case disposal, frequent adjournments, and inadequate case tracking systems as contributing factors.
For criminal cases, the minister noted that delays often stem from the interdependence of various agencies in the criminal justice system, such as police, prosecution, forensic labs, and medical experts.
While acknowledging that case resolution falls within the judiciary’s domain, Meghwal emphasized the government’s commitment to facilitating an ecosystem for expeditious case disposal. He mentioned the establishment of the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms in 2011, aimed at reducing delays and enhancing accountability in the judicial system.
The mission’s approach includes improving court infrastructure, increasing subordinate judiciary strength, implementing policy and legislative measures, re-engineering court procedures, and focusing on human resource development. These efforts are part of a coordinated strategy to address the backlog and improve the efficiency of India’s judicial system.