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The number of pending cases in Subordinate Courts of Karnataka has nearly doubled between Jan 2020 & Dec 2021 — mostly owing to Covid-related restrictions & hurdles seen last year — while nearly 20.5% of Judges’ posts remain vacant at these Courts.

As of Jan 2020, the cumulative pending cases across all lower courts in Karnataka was 10.5 lakh & it jumped to 19.9 lakh by Dec 13, 2021 — an increase of 90%. Of the pending cases at present, 11.1 lakh are criminal & 8.7 lakh are civil cases, as per data from the National Judicial Data Grid.

Separate data as of Nov 30, 2021, from the department of justice, shows that more than 20% of 1,361 judges’ posts in these courts across the state are vacant.

Lawyers & legal experts attributed the spike to an “extraordinary year” plagued by Covid-19 & the inability of a majority of such courts to leverage video-conferencing the way the HC & the Apex Court did.

Senior Lawyer KV Dhananjay said: “Vacant positions of judges affect the system’s efficiency. Also, 2020 was a year unlike any other which saw courts shut for weeks. Even after resumption, they did not handle as many cases as they would. Most of the subordinate courts have not embraced technology to a good extent, maybe affecting the disposal rate.”

Nationally, 2.5 crore cases are pending in subordinate courts as of Jan 2020. By Dec 13, 2021, the number crossed 4 crore.

Covid shut Courts, hit evidence collection: Lawyer

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat & Bihar have also registered a big jump in pending cases. While Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra have more cases in absolute numbers, they have reported a growth of 52.7% & 53.2% compared with 90% in Karnataka. Kerala saw an 83.7% jump, Gujarat 73% & Bihar 27.4%.

“Covid-19 is one of the major factors for the increase in pendency. The courts were closed for several weeks & other challenges like collection of evidence (in virtual hearings), without which cases cannot move forward, have had an impact,” advocate Clifton Rozario said.

Furthermore, nearly 21% of judges’ posts (5,193) are vacant in India, compared to 20.5% in Karnataka.

It is nearly 30% in Uttar Pradesh, 11.4% in Maharashtra, 13.8% in Kerala, 25.8% in Gujarat & 28% in Bihar.

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(With input from news agency language)

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