The country’s top court has delivered a pointed reminder to the Centre: justice delayed isn’t just a phrase—it’s the state of the nation’s criminal appeals backlog, and a key reason is 29 names still gathering dust in government files.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan didn’t mince words this Thursday as they took note of a growing judicial crisis. Their concern? High Courts buckling under mounting caseloads and crippling vacancies, while long-recommended judicial appointments remain in bureaucratic limbo.
“Two days ago, the Collegium uploaded fresh recommendations for High Court judges. Yet, many older names are still awaiting clearance,” the bench observed. “Twelve recommendations from this year alone remain pending. It’s time the Central government ensures these proposals are acted upon swiftly.”
Behind the judicial plea lies stark data:
- Allahabad High Court, with over 2.7 lakh criminal cases, has only 88 judges for a sanctioned strength of 160.
- Bombay High Court runs on 65 judges when it should have 94.
- Calcutta High Court functions with 46 judges instead of 72.
Since November 2022, a total of 29 Collegium recommendations remain stuck—4 from 2023, 13 from 2024, and 12 from 2025. Several are reiterations that, under law, should already have been cleared.
The hearing stemmed from a petition focused on criminal case pendency, with the justices confronting the brutal scale of the backlog: 7,24,192 pending criminal appeals across all High Courts as of March 22, 2025.
As a corrective, the Court directed every High Court to submit an action plan within four weeks to tackle the pile-up. Recommendations included:
- Virtual hearings for efficiency
- Verification of court records to reduce procedural delay
- AI tools like SUVAS for rapid translation
- Special criminal appeal benches
- Streamlined legal aid for unrepresented parties
The Supreme Court’s message was clear: the wheels of justice can’t keep spinning in neutral while names for the bench wait indefinitely in file folders.
