The Supreme Court of India on Thursday expressed serious concern over the staggering backlog of criminal appeals pending before High Courts across the country—reported to be over seven lakh—and called upon the Central Government to act swiftly in clearing names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment of judges.
A Bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan underscored the gravity of the situation by highlighting critical vacancies across major High Courts. Referring to the Allahabad High Court, the Bench noted that although the sanctioned strength was 111 judges, it was functioning with only 79 judges.
“This is one aspect where the Central Government needs to act and ensure that recommendations of the Collegium are cleared expeditiously. We hope and trust that the pending proposals will be cleared by the Central Government at the earliest,” the Bench observed.
The Court pointed out that the Bombay High Court, despite having a sanctioned strength of 94 judges, was operating with only 66 judges. Similarly, the Calcutta High Court was functioning with 44 judges against a sanctioned capacity of 72. The Delhi High Court, it said, had only 41 judges out of the prescribed 60.
Observing the “huge pendency of criminal appeals” in these courts, the Bench stressed that this issue must be addressed at a policy level, beyond mere judicial monitoring.
The matter assumes greater urgency as, just two days ago, the Supreme Court published on its official website the pending recommendations made by the Collegium for appointments in various High Courts. According to the data, four recommendations from 2023 and 13 from 2024 are still awaiting approval from the Central Government. The most recent recommendations dated 24 September 2024 also remain pending.
The Supreme Court’s observations once again bring to the fore the need for timely judicial appointments, a long-standing concern raised by the higher judiciary to ensure access to speedy justice.
