Allahabad HC Struggles with 11.4 Lakh Pending Cases, SC Calls for Urgent Action

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed serious concern over the overwhelming backlog of cases at the Allahabad High Court, which is functioning with 50% judicial vacancies. A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan observed that immediate steps must be taken to fill vacant judge posts.

Key Observations by the Supreme Court

• Each judge at the Allahabad High Court is handling nearly 15,000-20,000 cases.
• The court is operating with only 79 judges against a sanctioned strength of 160, meaning nearly 50% of judicial positions remain unfilled.
• Over 11.41 lakh cases are pending before the High Court as of January 1, 2025.

“It appears that the High Court of Allahabad is flooded with litigation. The only way out is to take steps to fill up vacancies, recommending candidates on merit,” Justice JB Pardiwala stated.

Case That Triggered SC’s Concern

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by a 95-year-old litigant whose case had remained pending for years at the Allahabad High Court. She requested an out-of-turn hearing for her civil appeal, citing extraordinary delays.

However, the Bench refused to prioritise her case, stating that such a decision would be unfair when many other litigants were also suffering due to long delays.

“We cannot adopt a pick-and-choose policy. There may be many such cases lying in a pathetic condition,” the Court noted.

The Bench instead directed that the petition be treated as a representation to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, urging urgent measures to address the crisis.

“The Registry shall serve a copy of this order to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court. The Chief Justice shall take appropriate actions in this regard,” the Court ordered.

Judicial Vacancies and Pendency at Allahabad HC

• Total Sanctioned Strength: 160 judges
• Current Working Strength: 79 judges
• Pending Cases: 11,41,687 (as of January 1, 2025)

Despite the dire situation, only one judicial appointment (Advocate Praveen Kumar Giri) has been recommended and approved since December 2024. No additional recommendations have been made to address the staggering shortage of judges.

Supreme Court’s Call for Urgent Action

The Supreme Court emphasised that the only viable solution to address the crisis is to expedite judicial appointments on the basis of merit. It called for immediate steps to fill vacant positions and reduce the massive case backlog.