Avinav Verma
Jammu: The judicial backlog in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh continues to mount, with more than 4.10 lakh cases currently awaiting disposal across the High Court and subordinate judiciary, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
The figures, placed before Parliament by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, reveal that while the pendency in the High Court had witnessed a marginal decline over the past few years, the number of cases in subordinate courts has continued to rise sharply, adding to the pressure on the justice delivery system.
As per the official reply, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh had 44,551 pending cases as on July 28, 2026, up from 43,039 cases in 2025.
The High Court pendency stood at 47,371 in 2021, declining to 43,575 in 2022 and 42,934 in 2023, before inching up to 43,296 in 2024 and 44,551 in 2026, indicating that the reduction achieved over the years has begun to reverse.
The situation is more alarming in the district and subordinate judiciary.
Official figures show that pending cases in subordinate courts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh increased from 2,16,245 in 2021 to 2,72,543 in 2022, crossing the three-lakh mark in 2023 with 3,10,486 pending cases.
The pendency further rose to 3,11,925 in 2024, 3,45,785 in 2025, and reached 3,65,191 as on July 28, 2026.
The latest data available on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) places the total pendency in district and subordinate courts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at 3,65,645 cases as on July 30, 2026.
The age-wise break-up highlights the magnitude of the backlog. As many as 20,767 cases have remained pending for more than ten years, while 63,876 cases are over five years old, underscoring the prolonged wait faced by thousands of litigants.
The Ministry informed Parliament that the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) maintains real-time data on pending cases across the country, including district-wise information, enabling continuous monitoring of case pendency.
However, it reiterated that the disposal of cases falls within the exclusive domain of the judiciary, while the Centre’s role is limited to providing the necessary infrastructure and policy support.
According to the Ministry, delays in disposal are influenced by several factors, including the availability of judges and judicial officers, shortage of court staff, inadequate infrastructure, complexity of cases, nature of evidence, and cooperation from lawyers, investigating agencies, witnesses and litigants.
To tackle mounting pendency, the Government said it has undertaken several initiatives aimed at improving judicial efficiency.
These include implementation of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project to digitise court processes and improve access to justice, strengthening court infrastructure, legislative reforms to reduce avoidable litigation, implementation of the new criminal laws, establishment of Fast Track Special Courts, promotion of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, and enhanced capacity building of judicial officers and court staff.
Despite these measures, the latest figures indicate that the backlog in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh continues to grow, particularly in the subordinate judiciary, where the number of pending cases has increased by nearly 1.5 lakh over the past five years, raising fresh concerns over delays in the delivery of justice.
13 Judge posts unfilled; 55 vacancies in lower courts
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has 13 vacant posts against a sanctioned strength of 25 judges, while 55 posts are vacant in the subordinate judiciary of Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
As per the reply by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal to an unstarred question raised by MP Tangella Uday Srinivas, the J&K and Ladakh High Court has a sanctioned strength of 25 judges, of whom 12 are currently working, leaving 13 vacancies as on August 3, 2026.
The ministry, said the subordinate judiciary in Jammu and Kashmir has a sanctioned strength of 322 judicial officers, against which 267 are working, and 55 posts remain vacant.
In Ladakh, the subordinate courts have a sanctioned strength of 17 judicial officers, of whom eight are working, leaving nine vacancies.
Uday Srinivas had asked the government about the sanctioned, working and vacant strength of judges in the Supreme Court, High Courts and subordinate courts, besides seeking details of judicial appointments made during the last five years and steps taken to address vacancies and case pendency.
In reply, Meghwal said appointment of judges in the higher judiciary is a continuous, integrated and collaborative process between the executive and judiciary and involves consultation and approval from various constitutional authorities at the State and Central levels.
He said that from May 2014 till August 3, 2026, a total of 77 judges had been appointed to the Supreme Court and 1,178 judges to various High Courts.
During the last five years, nine judges were appointed to the Supreme Court in 2021, three in 2022, 14 in 2023, four in 2024, seven in 2025 and five till August 3, 2026. In the High Courts, 120 appointments were made in 2021, 165 in 2022, 110 in 2023, 34 in 2024, 157 in 2025 and 22 till August 3, 2026.
The minister said filling vacant positions of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts is the responsibility of the concerned High Courts and State Governments.
