Bengaluru: Karnataka’s district and subordinate courts are grappling with a staggering backlog of 20.2 lakh pending cases amid significant staffing shortages. According to data from the Union law ministry, 16.4% of judicial officer positions—225 out of 1,375—are unfilled.
The backlog includes:
- 2,098 cases pending for 20-30 years
- 58,577 cases pending for 10-20 years
- 9 lakh cases pending for a year
- 5.1 lakh cases pending for 3 years
Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, HK Patil, has acknowledged the issue and reported that 28% of judicial staff posts are vacant. Of the 21,527 sanctioned judicial staff positions, 15,545 are filled. Efforts are underway to address these vacancies, including those for judges.
The Union law ministry’s data shows a reduction in sanctioned judicial officer posts from 3,972 in December 2018 to 1,375 in December 2023. Patil questioned the accuracy of this data, citing no significant reduction in sanctioned posts except for a few fast-track courts.
Experts suggest that increasing the number of judges and introducing penalties for speculative litigation could help address the backlog. The current judge-to-population ratio in India is about 21 per million, far below the recommended 50 per million, as highlighted by the Supreme Court and the Law Commission’s 120th Report.
Nationally, there are 5,428 vacant posts out of 25,439 sanctioned judges’ positions in subordinate courts, reflecting a broader issue within the judicial system.
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