India’s smaller, richer states and union territories have the highest rates of pending cases in district courts, government data show.
At 37 cases per 1,000 population, Chandigarh, a union territory (an administrative unit ruled by the Centre, not its own elected government), had the highest rate in the country as of January 1, 2018, according to data from the National Judicial Data Grid.
Delhi (36 cases per 1,000 population) and Kerala (34 cases per 1,000 population) were ranked second and third, respectively.
Ranked fourth with 30.9 cases per 1,000 population, Uttar Pradesh was the only big, poor state among the top five by pending cases in district courts as of January 1, 2018.
Himachal Pradesh was ranked fifth with 30.6 cases per 1,000 population as of January 1, 2018.
Source: National Judicial Data Grid, Census 2011, National Crime Records Bureau, Telangana Statistical Year Book 2017
Note: Population for Andhra Pradesh adjusted according to mid-year projected population by National Crime Records Bureau based on 2011 Census; for Telangana from state Statistical Year Book 2017
The country needed 70,000 judges to clear pending cases, according to former chief justice of India TS Thakur, Mint reported on May 8, 2016.
One of every four pending cases in the district courts was at least five years old, as of January 1, 2018, data show. About 9% of the cases had been going on for at least 10 years.
Source: National Judicial Data Grid; Data as of January 1, 2018
Among high courts, the high court of Bombay had the highest pending cases, 464,074, as of January 1, 2018, followed by Punjab and Haryana (384,098) and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (325,119), according to data from the National Judicial Data Grid.
Source: National Judicial Data Grid; Data as of January 1, 2018
While 47.6% pending cases in the high courts had been going for at least five years as of January 1, 2018, 22% were at least 10 years old.
Source: National Judicial Data Grid; Data as of January 1, 2018
(Vivek is an analyst with IndiaSpend and FactChecker.)
