Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Credit: Sansad TV
New Delhi: India has nearly 22 judges per 10 lakh population, the Rajya Sabha was told on Thursday.
In its 120th report way back in 1987, the Law Commission had recommended a judge-to-population ratio of 50 judges per million (10 lakh) of the Indian population.
In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that at present, the judge-to-population ratio in the country works out to be approximately 22 judges per million population.
"In order to calculate the judge population ratio per million population in a particular year, the Ministry of Law and Justice uses the criterion based on the 2011 Census population data (1210.85 million) and the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court, high courts and district and subordinate courts in the year 2026," he said.
Meghwal also said that the number of undertrials in the country in 2023, as per the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), stood at 3,89,910.
The disposal of cases, Meghwal noted, is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary.
The pendency of cases in courts arises due to several factors, which include the complexity of the facts involved, the nature of evidence, the cooperation of stakeholders -- the Bar, investigating agencies, witnesses and litigants, as well as the availability of physical infrastructure and supporting court staff.