There are 18 judges per 10 lakh people as compared to 50 judges recommended by the Law Commission in its 1987 report which the Chief Justice of India had recently cited seeking an increase in the judges’ strength. The data put out by the Law Ministry in the public domain says the judge to population ratio in India stands at 17.86 judges per 10 lakh people.
Addressing the inaugural session of the joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts here in April, TS Thakur, CJI, had said since 1987, when the Law Commission had recommended an increase in the number of judges from then 10 judges per 10 lakh people to 50, “nothing has moved”.
The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court stands at 31 judges, including the CJI, as compared to 25 in 2009. The apex court faces a shortage of three judges. Four new judges were recently appointed to the apex court.
The sanctioned strength of high courts till 2014 was 906 judges. This was increased to 1,079 in June this year. There are 24 high courts in the country. Despite the increase in the sanctioned strength, the high courts as in July this year, faced a shortage of 477 judges. The subordinate courts in the country, the backbone of the justice delivery system, have a sanctioned strength of 20,502. But there are only 16,070 judicial officers serving in the courts with the shortage standing at 4,432 as on December 31, 2015.
On July 28, the government informed Lok Sabha that the law panel had reviewed the criteria of the judge-population ratio for determining the number of judges needed which the CJI had cited to say that India needed 50 judges per million.
Addressing the inaugural session of the joint conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts here in April, TS Thakur, CJI, had said since 1987, when the Law Commission had recommended an increase in the number of judges from then 10 judges per 10 lakh people to 50, “nothing has moved”.
The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court stands at 31 judges, including the CJI, as compared to 25 in 2009. The apex court faces a shortage of three judges. Four new judges were recently appointed to the apex court.
The sanctioned strength of high courts till 2014 was 906 judges. This was increased to 1,079 in June this year. There are 24 high courts in the country. Despite the increase in the sanctioned strength, the high courts as in July this year, faced a shortage of 477 judges. The subordinate courts in the country, the backbone of the justice delivery system, have a sanctioned strength of 20,502. But there are only 16,070 judicial officers serving in the courts with the shortage standing at 4,432 as on December 31, 2015.
On July 28, the government informed Lok Sabha that the law panel had reviewed the criteria of the judge-population ratio for determining the number of judges needed which the CJI had cited to say that India needed 50 judges per million.
