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On Thursday, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court, urging immediate judicial intervention to address the severe and persistent shortage of judges, which has hampered the efficient delivery of justice.
Plea moved by Practising lawyer Amit Sahni, stated that as per sanctioned strength, the Delhi High Court should have 60 judges (45 permanent and 15 additional). However, it is currently functioning with only 36 judges, reflecting a vacancy rate of 40%. This serious shortfall has arisen due to retirements, recent inter-court transfers, and inaction in appointing judges despite the constitutional mandate and existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) requiring appointments to be initiated well before vacancies arise. It further stated that several judges, including Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, have retired recently. Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice C.D. Singh, and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma have been transferred to other High Courts. Further, two more retirements are expected in the coming months, which will reduce the strength to merely 34 judges. The continued shortage of judges has led to alarming pendency of cases, excessive workload on sitting judges, delays in disposal of critical matters such as writs, bail applications, appeals, and commercial disputes, thereby directly affecting citizens' rights and public trust in the judiciary, plea stated. Delays in adjudication due to judicial vacancies disproportionately affect the economically weaker and marginalised sections of society, who cannot afford prolonged litigation or access alternate forums of redressal. This is not merely an issue of administrative efficiency but one of fundamental rights, institutional integrity, and public trust in the judicial system. Judicial vacancies in a court of national and constitutional significance such as the Delhi High Court must be treated as a matter of utmost priority, the plea read. (ANI)
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