BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra on Saturday urged Union Law and Justice minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to take urgent steps to fill judicial vacancies in the Orissa High Court which will face a vacancy rate of over 60 per cent following retirement of its Chief Justice Harish Tandon on Sunday.
In a letter to the Union minister, Patra said the High Court’s working strength will fall to just 13 judges against a sanctioned strength of 33, leaving 20 posts vacant. The vacancy rate of approximately 60.6 pc is significantly higher than the national average of around 26 per cent in High Courts, he noted.
Expressing concern over the declining judicial strength, the BJD leader said the number of judges in the Orissa High Court had fallen from 20 in December 2025 to 13, despite the induction of judges through transfers during that year. Subsequent retirements and transfers had further depleted its strength, underscoring the need for fresh appointments, he said.
Patra also highlighted that 1,70,346 cases were pending in the High Court, including 38,936 cases for more than 10 years, as reported to the Parliament in August 2026.
The BJD MP said the significant shortage of judges was affecting the institutional capacity of the High Court and warranted priority attention.
He urged Meghwal to facilitate filling of the judicial vacancies in consultation with the appropriate constitutional authorities through a coordinated and time-bound process. “Boosting the judicial strength of the Orissa High Court is essential to improve its capacity to deal with the mounting pendency of cases and ensuring timely delivery of justice,” Patra said.