Judicial Backlog

Law ministry comes out with directive to reduce litigation involving Centre

Seeking to reduce and prevent court cases involving the central government, the Union law ministry has come out with a set of directives to be followed by all central ministries. The central government is a party in nearly seven lakh cases pending across courts, according to official data. Minimising "unwarranted appeals" in courts and addressing "inconsistencies in notifications and orders" that lead to court cases are the key measures proposed by the ministry. The Department of Legal Affairs in the law ministry has formulated the "Directive for the efficient and effective management of litigation by the Government of India" based on the recommendations of the committee of secretaries (CoS), chaired by the cabinet secretary, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. " It shall be applicable to all ministries and departments of the central government, including their attached and subordinate offices, autonomous bodies, as well as Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)...," it

Criminal case backlog of Delhi courts hits 1.24 mn in 2024, 2nd to Bengal

Delhi's district courts saw a surge of 266,000 pending criminal cases in 2024, bringing the total to 1.2 million, the second-highest after West Bengal, according to Rajya Sabha data

Record 83,000 cases pending in Supreme Court despite higher judge count

Despite an increase in judges, the Supreme Court's case backlog has grown eightfold in the past decade, reaching a record high of nearly 83,000 cases

SC gets an update: Wifi, virtual meetings, LED screens in courtrooms

This system enables unhindered remote participation, increasing the accessibility and connectivity of courtrooms manifold

Arrests made without reasons burden judicial system, says Ex-CJI U U Lalit

Former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Monday said in recent times civil disputes are being given criminal colour and arrests are being made without a reason which burdens the judicial system. The ex-CJI was speaking at the Justice K T Desai Memorial Lecture on "Making Criminal Justice Effective" in the Bombay High Court. Also speaking at the event, Bombay HC Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said bail is the rule and jail is an exception and gave the example of the recent Supreme Court order allowing jailed activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to be placed under house arrest. Noting that the criminal justice system was the backbone of a civilised society, the HC chief justice said, "A motivated, biased or an indifferent judicial system would result in the denial of justice and unjustified arrest of innocent persons". He also spoke about several judgments passed by the apex court laying down guidelines for the police while making arrests in a

Can reducing 'state-litigation' solve half of the judiciary's problems?

Yes, the government is the biggest litigant in the country, but this is not the whole truth

Ashoke Kumar Chakraborty named additional solicitor general for Calcutta HC

Veteran counsel Ashoke Kumar Chakraborty has been appointed as the Additional Solicitor General for the Calcutta High Court, it was announced on Saturday, to expedite pending cases

Justice delayed is justice denied: India's tryst with judicial backlogs

With only 17 judges for every million citizens, India still faces a backlog of more than 30 crore cases across various courts