Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has drawn attention to the staggering backlog of more than 5.4 crore pending cases across district courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court, describing it as a symptom of deeper structural bottlenecks in the justice system. He declined to elaborate on his efforts to improve representation of women and regional balance in the Supreme Court, or to comment on allegations of selective implementation of collegium recommendations by the government, noting simply, “I am working on these issues.”
Justice Kant took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice on 24 November 2025 and has made clearing the immense arrears of cases his top institutional priority. Data from the National Judicial Data Grid show that the Supreme Court alone has over 90,000 pending matters, while lower and High Courts collectively carry the bulk of the caseload. He underscored that high pendency is not merely a backlog problem; it reflects deeper malaise in how cases are processed, listed and disposed across the judiciary.
One key concern identified by the Chief Justice is the disproportionate burden placed on the apex court through frequent filings of Special Leave Petitions, which often concern routine factual or civil disputes rather than matters requiring constitutional adjudication. Experts have warned that this trend erodes the constitutional mandate of the Supreme Court as a dedicated constitutional court and consumes time that could otherwise be allocated to high-impact constitutional cases or final hearings.
Justice Kant also criticised current listing procedures and frequent adjournments, asserting that irrational scheduling and extended oral hearings have contributed to clogging the system. He suggested that mediation could play a “game-changer” role in reducing inflow, especially for civil and service disputes. He indicated willingness to revive mediation culture among courts and government agencies to ease pressure on the traditional litigation stream.
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