Huge backlog delaying justice

It is very disappointing to learn that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has been facing an acute shortage of judges as no new judges have been appointed to the court for more than two years. Currently, there are only four judges at the Appellate Division, down from 11 in 2009. But in the meantime, the number of cases pending before the apex court has gone up. At present, more than 16,000 cases are pending with the Appellate Division and 4.75 lakh cases with the High Court Division.

There seems to be a perpetual shortage of judges in our courts and backlog is a huge problem in the country's judiciary as both higher courts and lower courts are now over-burdened with pending cases. According to our report, 18 new judges have been appointed to the HC last May and the law ministry has said that judges from the High Court Division would be promoted to the Appellate Division within a month or two. We only hope that the process of appointment would not take very long.

With the backlog of cases growing by the day, justice-seekers' sufferings are also worsening. Therefore, immediate appointment of judges to the vacant posts is needed for quick disposal of cases. If three separate benches could be constituted at the Appellate Division with the appointment of new skilled judges, a large number of cases could be disposed of in a short time. Also, as experts suggest, there should be a specific law, in keeping with our constitution, for appointment of skilled judges at the Supreme Court, which, hopefully, will eventually lead to quick disposal of cases.