India High Courts are facing a massive backlog of around 65 lakh pending cases, raising concerns about how long people have to wait for justice. According to The Times of India, nearly 15 lakh cases have been pending for more than 10 years.
One case shows how long the wait can become. A daily wage health worker from Rajasthan had his services terminated in 1999. He approached the Rajasthan High Court in 2004 after being unhappy with a labour court decision. Even after 22 years, his case is still waiting to be heard. The highest number of pending cases is reported in the Allahabad High Court, with around 12.5 lakh cases. The Rajasthan High Court follows with about 7 lakh cases. Bombay High Court has around 6.4 lakh pending cases, while Madras High Court has 5.6 lakh.
The Supreme Court is also receiving petitions from people asking for an early hearing of their long pending cases. However, the Supreme Court has said that High Courts have constitutional independence, and their chief justices control the listing of cases. The huge backlog has become a major challenge for timely justice. The numbers show why reducing pending cases and improving the speed of court proceedings remain important issues for India judicial system.
