Want to clear 6 lakh cases from backlog this year

The law ministry has planned to reduce backlog of at least six lakh cases from the existing 38 lakh cases pending with the courts across the country in 2021.

"We have held few meetings in the ministry in last two months and decided that we will try to reduce six lakh of the backlog cases in the year of 2021. We have made a plan and we have already started working to this effect," Law Minister Anisul Huq told The Daily Star yesterday.

Without disclosing the plan, he said the government will take necessary steps so that the cases are disposed of within the current year. The minister said the government had a similar plan last year but it was not implemented due to the ongoing pandemic.

According to a Supreme Court study report, a total of 36,84,728 cases were pending with all the courts till December 31, 2019 after 11,65,935 cases have been disposed of since January 1 to December 31, 2019.

The number of cases pending with the Appellate Division stood at 23,617 till December 31, 2019 after the apex court has disposed of total 6,303 cases that year.

The High Court has disposed of total 1,35,275 cases, and after the disposal 4,89,068 cases were pending with this court till December 31, 2019.

The lower courts had a backlog of total 31,72,043 cases after they had disposed of 10,24,357 cases till December 31, 2019, according to the SC statement.

The SC administration did not prepare a study report last year.