Wednesday, June 14 2006 11:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Faced with huge pendency of cases in courts, the Centre today said it has evolved a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the backlog by adding 150 more judges in high courts, fully funding computerisation of lower courts and filling up judicial vacancies at all levels.

It has also extended the tenure of fast-track courts, financed by it, by another five years till 2010 and suggested to the judiciary clubbing of cases involving similar questions of law for faster disposal.

"We have a definite programme to deal with arrears of cases, improving the judicial infrastructure through central funding of computerisation of subordinate courts across the country and filling up vacancies of judges in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the lower courts," Law Minister H R Bhardwaj told sources in a wide-ranging interview here.

While over 35,000 cases were pending in the Supreme Court till March this year, the backlog in 21 high courts till December last year was over 35 lakhs and in subordinate courts more than 2.5 crore. There are over 2,800 judicial vacancies.

On the multi-pronged strategy adopted by the Ministry to deal with these issues, Bhardwaj said the strength of the Supreme Court and the high courts was being reviewed.

"After filling up seven existing vacancies in high courts, Government has decided to create posts of 150 additional judges in the high courts to expedite disposal of pending cases," he said.

Bhardwaj said when the UPA Government came to office in May 2004, it had "inherited" from the NDA regime 307 vacancies in high courts of which 220 have been filled up.

Judges to four posts in the Supreme Court will be appointed soon in consultation with Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, he said. Against the approved strength of 26 judges, the Court has 22 at present.

In the high courts, while the approved strength is 726 judges, the number of posts vacant is 87 and in district and subordinate courts, the vacancies touch a staggering 2,730 against the sanctioned posts of 14,412.

"Explaining the reason for extending the tenure of fast track courts, he said a record ten lakh cases have been disposed off out of 19 lakh cases before them. They would continue to be fully sponsored by the Centre," he said.

"On modernisation of the judicial infrastructure, the Law Minister said the Centre would be providing 100 per cent funding of the computerisation programme of lower courts. Procedural reforms were also being undertaken by the subordinate judiciary to scale-down the backlog," he said.

"The court will have one of the most advanced judicial infrastructures in due course as courts will be connected through computers," Bhardwaj said.

He said concerted efforts were underway by the judiciary to club cases having similar points of law so that a single court could dispose off such cases pending before different benches.

"By this practise, a court may dispose off, as an example, over 100 cases of a similar nature in one go," he said.

Citing the example of Karnataka, Bhardwaj said the state is 'revolutionising' the judicial infrastructure through computerisation and technical upgradation methods and "the results of this will be obvious.The arrears in the court will naturally come down".

Observing that the Government's efforts were more focussed on the lower judiciary, he said his Ministry was also considering establishing 'grass-root' courts in rural areas but this will be subject to availability of funds.

"By and large, all efforts are to meet targets with regard to modernisation of the judicial infrstructure," he added.

In Delhi alone, the High Court has six positions and subordinate courts have 123 positions waiting to be filled and 78,379 and 7,86,464 cases respectively are pending.

But it is the district and subordinate courts in Uttar Pradesh that have by far the largest number of vacancies with 756 out of an approved strength of 2,172 seats unfilled.

It is no surprise then that UP's subordinate courts also have the highest pendency of civil and criminal cases, with 44,58,861 cases still left to be dealt with.

The other High Courts are not far behind. The Patna High Court tops the list for vacancies with 22 out of the total 43 positions remaining unoccupied. The court has a pendency of 91,580 cases.

Sikkim High Court is the only High Court to have all three judges sitting on the Bench. It has the lowest number of cases pending- 42 at the end of the last year. It had also the lowest 747 cases pending in trial courts.