Only 13 judges for every ten lakh people in India

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : May 10 2013 | 1:35 AM IST
India has just 13 judges for every ten lakh people as against 35-40 in other developing nations and 50 in a developed country, a Parliamentary panel has said and urged the government to "make all out efforts" to fill up the existing vacant posts of judges.
The Committee on Empowerment of Women in its report on 'Victims of sexual abuse and trafficking and their rehabilitation' noted that India has 18,000 positions of judges at the subordinate Judiciary level but 3,000 are yet to be filled.
"There is about 13 judges for every one million population. This is against an average of 50 judges per one million population in developed countries and 35-40 in some other developing countries...In the High Courts, there are 895 permanent Judges, whereas the actual strength is less than 700," it said.
Department of Justice informed the panel that of the 18,000 positions of judges, about 15,000 are presiding the courts and there is a proposal to add another 15,000 positions in the next five years which will take the number to 30,000.
But the Committee was of the view that even that augmentation of resources will be inadequate.
It said, "Even after increasing the strength of judges, the judge-population ratio in the country would be far less than the ratio in other developed/developing countries."
The committee recommended that the government should make "all out efforts to fill up all the existing vacant posts of judges at the subordinate level as in the High Courts".
The panel also directed the government to apprise it of the concrete steps taken by it to bring the judge-population ratio at least to a level of 35-40 Judges per ten lakh population, if not 50 as existing in developed countries.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 10 2013 | 1:35 AM IST

Next Story