India’s courts continue to face a heavy backlog, with nearly 90,900 pending cases in the Supreme Court, over 63 lakh in the High Courts, and more than 4.84 crore in District and Subordinate Courts.
The Government is implementing Phase-III of the e-Courts Project worth Rs 7,210 crore, with significant expenditure already released and over 3.81 crore hearings conducted via video conferencing.
Judicial vacancies have been addressed with the appointment of 72 Supreme Court judges and 1,156 High Court judges between 2014 and 2025, alongside 819 Additional Judges being made permanent.
Judicial Backlog: 90 Thousand Cases Pending in SC, Almost 5 Crore In District Courts
Over 63 lakh cases remain pending in the High Courts, and more than 4.84 crore in District and Subordinate Courts; while delays stem from multiple factors including infructuous litigation, absconding accused and procedural hurdles.
Summary
India’s Supreme Court has 90,897 pending cases, while the High Courts and District and Subordinate Courts’ pending cases stand at 63,63,406 and 4,84,57,343 respectively, the Minister of Law and Justice told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Various reasons have been enlisted for the delay; from infructuous litigation, parties not interested, accused absconding, to a stay from various courts. Other reasons include awaiting documents, bringing parties on record, difficulty in securing presence of important witnesses to obstructions in execution of decree.
Answering to what steps have been taken for speedy trial of pending cases, the government said that it is implementing the Phase-III of e-Courts Project with an outlay of Rs 7,210 crore over four years.
Expenditure under the project reached Rs 768.25 crore in 2023–24 and Rs 1,029.11 crore in 2024–25, while Rs 907.97 crore has been released in the current financial year.
More than 3.81 crore hearings have been conducted through video conferencing, and live-streaming facilities are now operational in 11 High Courts. The network of e-Sewa Kendras has also expanded to 1,987 centres across High Courts and District Courts.
The Government also stated that vacancies have been filled in the Supreme Court and High Courts. Between May 1, 2014 and November 26, 2025, a total of 72 judges were appointed to the Supreme Court. During the same period, the High Courts saw the appointment of 1,156 new judges, while 819 Additional Judges were made permanent.
Fast Track Courts have been set up to handle cases involving heinous crimes and those concerning senior citizens, women, and children.
In addition, 10 Special Courts are functional across nine States and Union Territories to expedite criminal cases involving elected MPs and MLAs. As of September 30, 2025, 773 Fast Track Special Courts, including 400 exclusive POCSO courts, are operational in 29 States and Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at ensuring the disposal of pending cases related to rape and POCSO offences.
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