The revelation by the Union Law Minister in Parliament regarding the mounting pendency of cases in the District and Subordinate Courts of J&K and Ladakh paints a grim picture of a judicial system under serious stress. As of July 28, 2025, over 3.35 lakh cases are pending in the lower courts of J&K alone, a staggering rise from 1.98 lakh in 2020. In Ladakh, though the absolute number of pending cases-1417-appears manageable, the situation is equally alarming due to the lack of court infrastructure in five of its ten sub-divisions. These figures are not mere statistics-they represent lakhs of lives entangled in delayed legal redress. Each pending case is a story of grievance waiting for justice, of hope hanging by a thread.
One of the core reasons behind this exponential rise in pendency is the glaring shortfall in judicial manpower. Out of 322 sanctioned posts for Judicial Officers in J&K, 50 are lying vacant. This means that many Judicial Officers are being burdened with dual responsibilities, often managing multiple courts. The result is ad hoc court schedules, irregular hearings, and a severely compromised justice delivery mechanism. Worse still, the support staff scenario is equally dismal. Courts simply cannot function effectively without adequate clerical and administrative staff. Judges, already overburdened, are further handicapped by insufficient assistance, leading to procedural bottlenecks that further delay trials. The responsibility for this mess lies squarely with the local Government. Judicial infrastructure and staffing fall under the domain of the state or Union Territory Government. The fact that no infrastructure exists for courts in five Sub-Divisions of Ladakh speaks volumes about the apathy. While the Centre has allocated over Rs 8 crore to Ladakh in recent years, only a handful of court halls and residences have been constructed. Without a strong and functional physical setup, justice remains an elusive concept for thousands living in remote regions.
While administrative lapses and policy inaction are concerning, it is the human cost of this judicial paralysis that is most tragic. Litigants are forced to wait for years, sometimes decades, to have their matters heard. For many, justice delayed often becomes justice denied. Families suffer, livelihoods are lost, and faith in the judicial system erodes-a dangerous trend in any democracy. Even the High Court of J&K and Ladakh is not immune. With over 45,000 cases pending, the burden on the higher judiciary is significant. This indicates that the issue isn’t merely at the bottom tier of the judicial pyramid but is systemic. Disposals cannot match inflows, particularly when the inflow itself is driven by growing awareness, rising population, and increasingly complex socio-economic realities.
While the High Court has initiated internal mechanisms to monitor and streamline pending cases, these efforts are being thwarted by chronic shortages of judges and staff. No amount of internal reform can compensate for a 15 percent vacancy rate in judicial positions. Court monitoring committees and procedural efficiency tools require boots on the ground-actual judges and functioning courtrooms-to produce results. If the current trajectory continues, the judiciary in these Union Territories risks collapse under its own weight. The local Government must act immediately to fill all vacant judicial posts without delay, create new positions in line with rising caseloads and the national judge-to-population ratio, ensure adequate support staff and training to enable efficient functioning of court operations, invest in court infrastructure, especially in regions like Ladakh’s five Sub-Divisions, and implement technology-based solutions like e-courts, video hearings, and AI-assisted case scheduling to reduce procedural lags.
Unless immediate and comprehensive corrective measures are taken, the credibility of the entire justice system will suffer irreparably. A systemic overhaul backed by political will is the need of the hour.
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