Judicial Backlog Crisis Reaches Breaking Point
The Gujarat High Court issued a sharp directive to the state government on July 6, calling for the filling of over 180 vacancies in the district and subordinate judiciary within 60 days — or face further court scrutiny. The order came in the context of a pending PIL that had highlighted the growing backlog of cases across Gujarat’s district courts.
The Scale of the Vacancy Problem
According to data placed before the Court, Gujarat’s subordinate judiciary has a sanctioned strength of approximately 640 judges across district courts, Civil Judge (Senior Division) courts, Civil Judge (Junior Division) courts, and Judicial Magistrate First Class courts. Against this sanctioned strength, 183 positions were found to be vacant as of the date of filing.
The practical consequence of this shortfall is a court system operating at roughly 72% capacity, resulting in case pendency that, in some districts, exceeds four years for civil matters and two years for criminal sessions cases.
The High Court’s Direction
The bench noted that repeated assurances by the state government over the preceding two years had not resulted in meaningful progress in filling the vacancies. It directed the Principal Secretary, Law and Justice, to personally appear before the Court with a recruitment timeline — a step that signals the Court’s diminishing patience with administrative delay.
The government’s representative confirmed that a fresh batch of 60 judicial officers would be appointed by September 2026, with a subsequent batch to follow before the year’s end.