Justice delayed: Over 8.5 lakh court cases pending in Telangana

Hyderabad: More than 8.5 lakh cases are pending in different courts in the Telangana state.

In a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said 6,22,985 cases are pending in district and subordinate courts in Telangana. Nearly 2,31,760 cases are pending in the state high court.

Likewise, 5, 81,361 cases are pending in district and subordinate courts in Andhra Pradesh. Around 2, 03,124 cases are pending in Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Prasad said in the country, a total of 3, 44, 73,068 cases are pending in districts and subordinate courts while 51, 52,921 cases are pending in high courts.

Ravi Chander, a senior lawyer at the Telangana High Court says there are two major reasons for all these pending cases, "The first major reason, less number of judges on the bench. There are 14 Judges on the bench in High Court while the sanctioned post is around 24. The work of 13 judges remains undone every day which means more than 200 days of work every month in the High Court."

"Infrastructure is another reason, if all these judges are appointed in the high court, there is no space for their chambers, and then file, peon to keep things in order, clerk to maintain the details. All these things are required which the government and the collegium have to ensure," Ravi Cahnder added.

The law minister said to reduce the number of pendency, the central government has enacted Gram Nayalaya Act, 2008. It provides the establishment of Gram Nyayalayas at the intermediate Panchayat level. “As per information made available by state governments and high courts, 395 Gram Nyayalayas have been notified so far by 12 states. Of which 225 are operational at present,” said the minister.

Prasad noted the central government provides one-time assistance to states towards non-recurring expenses for setting up of Gram Nyayalayas subject to a ceiling of Rs. 18 lakh per Gram Nyayalaya.

The central government also provides assistance towards recurring expenses for operating these Gram Nyayalayas subject to a ceiling of Rs. 3.20 lakhs per Gram Nyayalaya per year for the first three years.

In February Telangana government had decided to set up 55 Gram Nyayalayas in different districts across Telangana. The government estimated recurring expenditure on salaries will be around Rs 9.9 crore a year while the non-recurring one-time expenditure is estimated at Rs 2,75 crore.