NEW DELHI: Suresh Kumar, a 59-year-old resident of Rohini, stands in the corridor of a Delhi district court, visibly weary.
“It has been over five years. I am running from post to pillar to seek justice for land illegally occupied by my brother. The court keeps giving me dates, but nothing substantial has happened. At this rate, my property case will be solved after my death.”
His words echo the painful reality faced by lakhs of people trapped in the web of judicial delays. Despite having one of the strongest legal infrastructures in the country, Delhi’s courts are buried under a backlog of cases. As of January 1, 2025, more than 14 lakh cases were pending in the capital’s district courts.
Years without progress
One in every five of these cases has been awaiting resolution for over five years, and around two per cent have been pending for more than a decade. Each case number is a real person like Suresh—waiting, hoping, and slowly losing faith in the system.This is not an overnight crisis. It has been building steadily. In 2017, each district judge in Delhi handled an average of 1,551 cases. By 2024, this number rose to 2,023 cases per judge. While still below the national average of 2,200, the burden remains overwhelming.
Low clearance rate
Delhi’s Case Clearance Rate (CCR)—a measure of how many cases are disposed of against how many are filed—was 78 per cent in 2024, among the lowest in India.
Only once in the past eight years, in 2023, did Delhi courts manage a 100 per cent CCR.
The India Justice Report 2025, published by Tata Trusts and several legal advocacy groups, presented a grim scenario. Despite Delhi having one of the lowest judicial vacancy rates (11 per cent) and the highest representation of women judges (45 per cent), the courts are still struggling to clear the growing pile of unresolved matters. The consequences are more than inconvenient—they are a direct threat to liberty. 91 per cent of Delhi’s prison population consists of undertrials—people who have not yet been convicted. Thousands remain in jail for months or even years because their cases have not moved forward. This is a serious violation of the right to a speedy trial, a basic tenet of justice.
Some positive signs
There are glimmers of hope. In 2024, the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) recorded a 94 per cent success rate in resolving disputes through Lok Adalats—the highest in the country. Also, 56 per cent of Delhi’s paralegal volunteers and 36 per cent of its panel lawyers are women, reflecting a positive trend in gender representation. Still, these achievements seem insufficient against the broader backdrop of systemic failure.
New action plan
Recognising the urgency of the crisis, the Delhi HC has rolled out a comprehensive and integrated action plan to tackle long-standing case backlogs. A Supreme Court committee led by Justice Abhay S. Oka, which drafted Model Case Flow Management Rules for all Indian courts, raised concern over mounting pendency—especially cases pending for over two to three decades. It formulated a Model Action Plan for Arrear Reduction, which Delhi High Court is now using as a guide.
Focus on pendency
A Court official told this newspaper that special emphasis will be on identifying and disposal of cases which are more than 10, 20 or 30 year old and to ensure faster progression of cases through their various life stages. “The cases will be completed in three phases. List of targeted cases shall be placed before the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. The Chief Justice can thereafter order for transfer of certain cases for equitable distribution of targeted matters with minimum abrasion to the jurisdictional aspect of various Courts and Benches,” said the court official.
Mandatory participation
“The presence and participation of Advocates of the parties in the Case Flow Management hearings shall be mandatory. It shall be ensured that targeted matters where evidence is being recorded or yet to be recorded, be done by Joint Registrar (Judicial) during the first phase itself,” the official said.
All targeted matters where evidence is pending will be prioritised in Phase One by the Joint Registrar.
Weekly disposal drive
Another official said that after approval of the Chief Justice, every Thursday after lunch hours shall be designated for hearing and disposal of targeted cases, which shall be duly communicated to the Bar Members and other stakeholders.
“A team of trainee judicial officers under Case Flow Management Branch shall be constituted on approval of Chief Justice of Delhi HC for identification of cases which have become in fructuous in Delhi High Court. The said team shall file its report on weekly basis which shall be placed before the CFM committee for appropriate directions,” said the official. The official further said that physical verification of cases will be conducted during summer vacations and data on the Delhi High Court website and National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) be updated accordingly.
