CJI forms panel to assess court infrastructure, seek ₹50,000 crore

The panel will assess judicial infrastructure gaps, recommend reforms, and build a case for a dedicated Rs 40,000-50,000 crore allocation

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant has constituted a Judicial Infrastructure Advisory Committee to assess the infrastructure requirements of courts across the country and make a case for a dedicated government allocation of Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore for the judiciary.

 

The committee has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive report on the needs of the justice delivery system and submitting it to Sanjeev Sanyal, member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council, by August 31.

 

Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar will head the panel. Other members include Calcutta High Court judge Justice Debangsu Basak, Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Bombay High Court judge Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan, the Director General of the Central Public Works Department, and the Secretary General of the Supreme Court.

 

The move comes amid renewed focus on the lack of judicial infrastructure and mounting pendency across courts due to inadequate infrastructure.

 

CJI Kant had last year underlined the importance of investment in court infrastructure while inaugurating a renovated heritage building annexed to the Madras High Court in Chennai.

 

He said that while expenditure on judicial infrastructure may not yield monetary returns, it would strengthen public confidence in the judiciary.

 

As of February, against the sanctioned strength of 25,894 judges and a working strength of 21,027 judges, the country had 22,712 court halls available. The judge-to-population ratio in the country works out to approximately 22 judges per million population.

 

Apart from the Supreme Court, high courts and trial courts across the country, the infrastructure condition of several tribunals has also been flagged several times.

 

During a hearing on a plea concerning vacancies in the National Green Tribunal, a bench of Supreme Court judges Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan had criticised the Centre over poor infrastructure for tribunal members.

 

“Former chief justices and high court judges are treated without dignity. Even for stationery, they have to keep requesting. The most rickety car is given to a tribunal chairperson. Housing, infrastructure, transport, nothing is in place,” Justice Nagarathna had remarked.

 

The bench also referred to an August 2025 ruling directing the government to improve infrastructure in the National Company Law Tribunal and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.

 

In September last year, the Supreme Court observed that retired high court judges were reluctant to join tribunals because they were treated “without dignity” and lacked even basic facilities.

 

Several tribunals in the national capital continue to function from temporary or shared premises.

 

The NCLT and NCLAT operate from offices in the CGO Complex area on Lodhi Road, while the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal functions from Hotel Samrat in Chanakyapuri. The Delhi State Bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal is also operating from temporary premises at Hotel Samrat.

 

Successive tribunal heads have similarly flagged infrastructural deficiencies.

 

Former NCLAT chairperson Justice S J Mukhopadhaya had identified lack of permanent staff and inadequate courtroom space as major constraints, while former NCLT president Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar had also raised concerns about the tribunal’s ability to handle large and complex insolvency matters without specialised benches.

 

The committee formed by the CJI has also been tasked with examining bottlenecks faced by stakeholders in the justice delivery system and recommending measures to improve facilities for judges, lawyers, litigants, and court visitors.

 

It will also explore technology-driven interventions aimed at faster disposal of cases, expansion of computerisation and e-courts initiatives, and measures to digitally manage cases filed in courts.

 

Its mandate further includes improving citizen-centric services to bridge the digital divide, planning modern court complexes, and enhancing working conditions for judicial officers and court staff.

 

Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India, marking the first such expansion since 2019. The proposal will be formalised through an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the decision as a step towards strengthening judicial infrastructure and ensuring speedy justice.

 

The sanctioned strength of the apex court has steadily expanded over the decades, from eight judges in 1956 to 33 judges in 2019, in response to the increasing volume and complexity of litigation.

 

The Centre has, meanwhile, sought to tighten monitoring mechanisms for judicial infrastructure projects under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary in district and subordinate courts.

 

The scheme is periodically reviewed by Parliamentary standing committees, internal audit mechanisms, and third-party evaluations conducted under the aegis of NITI Aayog.

 

To address delays and fund-related bottlenecks, including parking of funds by states and Union Territories, the government has introduced the SNA-SPARSH system for “just-in-time” release of funds. States and UTs have also been asked to geo-tag projects in real time and regularly update progress on the Nyaya Vikas portal for better monitoring.