WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s judicial system is grappling with a significant rise in case backlogs, as the total number of pending civil and criminal cases surged to 3.32 lakh by November 2024.
In a detailed response to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal, replied to a question in the Rajya Sabha that over 44,000 cases were added to the backlog this year.
As per the information provided by the Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, in response to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha, the pendency of cases in the district and subordinate courts of Jammu and Kashmir as of November 15, 2024, includes 1,08,222 civil cases and 2,24,305 criminal cases, bringing the total to 3,32,527 cases. This data is sourced from the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), which monitors case pendency across the country.
Compared to January 1, 2024, the number of pending civil cases in Jammu and Kashmir increased from 1,01,210 to 1,08,222, showing a rise of 7,153 cases. Similarly, pending criminal cases rose significantly from 1,88,996 to 2,24,305 during the same period, marking an increase of 37,741 cases. This represents a total increase of 44,894 cases in less than a year.
Minister, while replying to another question, said the High Court in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has a sanctioned strength of 19 permanent Judges and 6 additional, making a total of 25.
The working strength of Judges in the High Court in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh is 12 permanent Judges and 3 additional ones. As far as the vacancies are concerned, the minister informed that there are 7 permanent and 3 additional ones.
Moreover, he said, there are over 45 vacant posts of Judicial Officers in District and subordinate Courts in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The minister further informed that out of 20 Gram Nyayalaya Notified there has not been a single one operational.
According to data provided by the Minister of Law and Justice in the Rajya Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir reported the disposal of 6,057 cases in family courts in 2024. However, the number of pending cases in the region remains substantial, standing at 15,192 by the end of November.
According to the data provided, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court currently has 218 functioning courtrooms. To date, it has been equipped with 86 video conferencing (VC) systems. However, the minister said an additional 132 VC systems are required to ensure all courtrooms are fully equipped for modern judicial processes.
