Replying to a starred question raised by Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, the law ministry on Thursday said that only 45 judges had been appointed for various High Courts between 1 July 2020-15 July 2021. It is only 56 per cent of the number of judges who were recommended for appointment by the Supreme Court Collegium.
Between July 2020 and July 2021, the Collegium had recommended the appointment of 80 judges in various High Courts across the country.
Worrying trend in judicial appointments
The law ministry's reply shows a worrying trend in judicial appointments. With a sanctioned bench strength of 1098 judges across all the High Courts in the country, there are only 645 judges working on the bench, leaving 453 seats of judges vacant in 25 High Courts.
High Courts with a huge volume of cases, including the Allahabad HC and the Delhi HC, are functioning with around 50% judge strength. There are 94 judges in Allahabad Hc, despite a sanctioned strength of 160, while Delhi HC has only 30 judges where the sanctioned strength is 60.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has only 46 judges against a sanctioned strength of 86. Patna, with a sanctioned strength of 53, has only 20 working judges. The situation is even worse in Telangana, where only 14 judges are on the bench, which is supposed to have 42.
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