India’s judiciary is facing a severe pendency crisis, with over 4.80 crore cases pending in lower courts and nearly 91,000 in the Supreme Court as of 2025. Rising vacancies, inadequate infrastructure, and slow recruitment are intensifying delays, prompting calls for urgent systemic reforms.

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•  4.80 crore cases pending in lower courts; SC pendency up 30% (2021–2025).
•  Allahabad HC highest pendency: 11.66 lakh cases; UP alone holds 23% of India’s backlog.
•  Judge–population ratio just 21/million vs Law Commission’s norm of 50/million.
•  Vacancies: 4,855 posts empty in lower courts; 297 in High Courts.
•  Infrastructure gaps: shortage of courtrooms, staff, stenographers, digital tools.
•  Frequent adjournments + weak case management = long delays.
•  Slow appointments due to Collegium–Executive friction; recruitment lag in states.
•  ADR underused; Lok Adalats limited to small/pre-litigation matters.
•  Pendency undermines Article 21 right to speedy justice; hurts rule of law.
•  Economic impact: delays in commercial cases lower investor confidence, raise costs.
•  Reforms needed: fast recruitment, digitised courts, stricter adjournment norms, strong ADR, specialised courts.