HYDERABAD: A significant backlog of pending cases has become a major burden on courts across Telangana. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Law and Justice to Parliament, a staggering 11.82 lakh cases are currently pending in the Telangana High Court, as well as in district and subordinate courts. Of these, 9,37,881 cases are pending in district and subordinate courts, while 2,44,532 cases remain unsolved in the high court.
The National Judicial Data Grid reveals that 55,222 cases have been pending for over a decade across all courts in the state. Notably, 17% of the pending cases in the high court — 41,361 — have remained unresolved, while 13,861 cases have been pending in the district and subordinate courts for about 10 years.
Four cases have been languishing in the high court since 1967 — nearly 58 years. One case has been pending since 1968, three since 1969, seven since 1979, 16 since 1980, 31 since 1981 and 43 since 1983. In the district and subordinate courts, one case has been pending since 1975. Two cases date back to 1981, four each to 1984 and 1985, six to 1986, eight to 1987 and 21 to 1988.
Legal experts attribute the pendency to various factors including frequent adjournments, complexity of cases, inadequate infrastructure, judicial vacancies and lack of cooperation from stakeholders.
The main contributor to the delay is the high number of cases under stay orders. Other factors include absconding accused in criminal matters, unavailability of counsel, delays in receiving relevant documents and non-cooperation from witnesses.
Shortage of judicial officers leads to pendency of cases
Adding to the problem is the significant shortage of judicial officers in the lower courts. Of the 560 sanctioned posts for judicial officers in district and subordinate courts, 115 have been vacant since 2023. Responsibility for filling these vacancies lies with the respective high courts and state governments.
The Telangana High Court is also strained by a shortage of judges. While the sanctioned strength is 42 judges, only 30 are currently serving, leaving 12 positions vacant.