4.80 crore cases pending in lower courts across India, Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha

The total number of vacant posts of judges in district courts across India is 4,855 and around 4.80 crore cases are pending in lower courts across the country, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (December 4, 2025). He said there were 297 vacancies in various High Courts.

Sharing pending cases in the Supreme Court in the last five years, Mr. Meghwal, in a written reply, informed that 90,694 cases were under trial in the apex court as of December 1, 2025 . The pendency was 70,239 in 2021.

Responding to a question by member from Punjab, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who had asked for vacancies in various courts across India and the timeline by when the government was planning to fill vacant positions of judges in various courts, the Minister said filling of vacant positions of judges in district and subordinate courts was the responsibility of the High Courts and the State governments. For the Supreme Court and High Courts, vacancies were being filled continuously in collaboration of the executive and judiciary.

Uttar Pradesh tops

Uttar Pradesh tops the charts among the States and union territories with maximum vacancies of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts, according to the data shared by the Minister. Uttar Pradesh has 1,055 vacancies in the lower judiciary followed by 535 vacancies in Gujarat and 384 vacancies in Madhya Pradesh.

Even in the High Courts, the Allahabad High Court has the maximum number of vacant posts — 60 — and the court has 11,66,971 cases pending, maximum across India. The lower courts in Uttar Pradesh have 1,13,05,841 cases pending, once again, the highest in the country.

Maharashtra is a State where vacancies of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts remained at 250 since 2021.