Case Management in Focus: J&K Lower Courts Show Promising Decline in Pendency, High Court Faces Persistent Challenges

Jammu, 18-02-2024 : Over the span of approximately five months, there has been a noteworthy reduction of nearly 11 percent in the backlog of cases lodged with the District & Taluka Courts in Jammu and Kashmir. Conversely, there has been a marginal increase in pending cases within the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court (JKL HC), with over 15% of cases awaiting resolution for the past 10 to 30 years.

Data sourced from the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) reveals a decline from 326,264 cases pending for resolution in J&K’s District and Taluka Courts in September 2023 to 289,325 cases as of February 18, 2024, marking an overall decrease of almost 11% within the past five months. Out of these, 222,823 were criminal cases, while the remainder (103,441) were civil cases in September 2023. Presently, the number of pending criminal cases has decreased to 187,525, and civil cases to 101,800.

As for the J&K and Ladakh High Court, the total cases pending for resolution in September 2023 stood at 44,736, with 36,575 civil cases and 8,161 criminal cases. However, the number of civil cases has decreased to 36,386, while criminal cases have risen to 8,373.

Examining the pendency by years, Jammu and Kashmir’s District & Taluka Courts showcase varying figures: 31.14% for 0-1 year, 29.22% for 1-3 years, 14.2% for 3-5 years, 20.19% for 5-10 years, 5.1% for 10-20 years, 0.14% for 20-30 years, and 0.01% for over 30 years. Similarly, in the J&K and Ladakh HC, the breakdown is as follows: 24.1% for 0-1 year, 24.18% for 1-3 years, 10.86% for 3-5 years, 25.76% for 5-10 years, 14.34% for 10-20 years, 0.73% for 20-30 years, and 0.03% for over 30 years.

On a national scale, the District & Taluka Courts grapple with a staggering 44,158,806 pending cases, encompassing 10,898,967 civil cases and 33,259,839 criminal cases. In High Courts nationwide, there are 4,435,210 civil cases and 1,764,004 criminal cases out of a total of 6,199,214 cases awaiting resolution. Additionally, the Supreme Court contends with 80,114 pending cases, consisting of 63,019 civil cases and 17,095 criminal cases.