New Delhi, July 26 — As many as 371 posts of judges across 25 High Courts in the country remain vacant against the sanctioned strength of 1,122, the government informed Parliament this week, raising fresh concerns over the mounting pendency of cases in the higher judiciary.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, said 178 proposals for High Court appointments are currently under various stages of consideration between the Centre and the Supreme Court Collegium. Meanwhile, recommendations for the remaining 193 vacancies are still awaited from the respective High Court Collegiums.
“From January 1, 2020, to July 18 this year, 554 judges have been appointed to various High Courts and 35 to the Supreme Court,” Meghwal said, adding that during the same period, 349 names had been remitted back to the High Courts.
Under the current system of appointments, governed by the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the Chief Justice of the respective High Court is responsible for initiating proposals for new judges, in consultation with the two senior-most puisne judges of the court.
“High Courts are expected to send recommendations at least six months before a vacancy arises, but this timeline is seldom adhered to,” the Law Minister noted.
He further explained that recommendations from High Court Collegiums are evaluated alongside inputs from state governments and relevant reports gathered by the Centre. “These inputs are then sent to the Supreme Court Collegium for final advice,” he said.
The disclosure underscores persistent bottlenecks in India’s judicial appointment process, as well as coordination challenges between the judiciary and executive. With nearly one-third of High Court positions lying vacant, the shortfall continues to impact the timely delivery of justice.
