Initiate time-bound measures to fill up vacancy in judiciary: House panel

A parliamentary panel has asked the government to initiate time-bound measures to fill up existing vacancies of judges and other judicial officers and also increase their strength in various courts of the country.  

The committee also asked the law and justice ministry to take all necessary steps to ensure that the policy formulation for speedy disposal of pending cases be effectively implemented by working in close coordination with all the stakeholders.

Detailing the steps taken to reduce pendency of cases, the ministry stated that the sanctioned strength of the subordinate judiciary has been increased from 17,715 at the end of 2012 to 20,502 in December   2015.

The sanctioned strength of high courts has increased to 1,079 jugdes as of June, 2016, as against 906 in June 2014.

However, the committee, headed by Bhagat Singh Koshyari, found that the shortfall of number of vacancies in various courts in the country is between 25% to 57%.

The government, onits part, maintained it has taken up the matter with the high courts for filling up about 4,432 vacancies in subordinate courts.

"Pendency in the Supreme Court has declined from 66,692 cases at the end of year 2012 to 62,657 cases as on June 30, 2016. The pendency in high courts has declined from 42.49 lakh cases at the end of the year 2010 to 38.70 lakh cases as on December 31, 2015. Pendency in district and subordinate courts is 2.70 crore cases at the end of year 2015 as against 2.77 crore cases at the end of 2010," it added.

In its recommendation, the panel said, "The government could adopt any method for assessing the additional requirement of judges, especially in the subordinate judiciary, be it, on the basis of 'judicial hours' or 'weighted disposal approach' by working in close coordination with state government and the Supreme Court/high  courts, the same should be aimed at ensuring faster results so that the common citizens should not further go through the ordeals of getting delayed justice."