The Delhi High Court recently highlighted the "acute shortage of judges" as a major reason for its inability to hear all cases, drawing attention to the broader issue of judicial vacancies in India.
The Delhi High Court has only 36 judges, significantly below its sanctioned strength of 60, resulting in a backlog of 1,34,090 cases.
Across India's 25 High Courts, there are 345 vacant judicial positions out of a total of 1,114 sanctioned posts.
These 769 working judges are responsible for clearing over 62 lakh pending cases.
4The Allahabad High Court has the highest number of vacancies (81 out of 160) and the largest caseload (11,76,229 pending cases).
Most High Courts face a backlog, with filings consistently exceeding case disposals, highlighting increasing strain on the system.
In 2024, over 24 lakh new cases were filed, but only 22.5 lakh were resolved, widening the gap.
The government is processing proposals for 150 High Court judges, with recommendations for 205 vacancies still pending.
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