Karnataka Courts Choking Under 21 Lakh Pending Cases and Massive Judge Shortage

The judiciary in India is in a state of shambles, with courts bursting at the seams with pending cases.

Worse, thousands of posts remain unfilled, and the conditions of the judiciary in the state of Karnataka are no different.

According to figures, the state judiciary faces an acute shortage of judges, with 5,926 vacancies, constituting 27.5% of sanctioned posts remaining vacant as of January 2025.

The brunt of the shortages is being felt in the districts of Bangalore, Mandya, and other key districts.

Due to the shortage of judges, the backlog of cases has crossed 21 lakh.

According to Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, the process of appointing 158 civil judge posts began in February 2025.

However, the situation continues to be grim.

Major districts are also facing a shortage of judges:
Mysuru — 299 vacancies
Belagavi — 345
Tumakuru — 279
Dakshina Kannada — 312
Hassan — 207

The situation is no different in the higher judiciary positions.

There are 1,395 sanctioned posts for district judges, ad-hoc district judges, senior civil judges, and civil judges, and of these, 243 remain vacant.

There are 395 approved district judge posts, and 61 posts are lying vacant.

There are no sanctioned posts for ad-hoc judges, but the services of 16 ad-hoc judges are being utilized.

There are 440 senior judge posts, and 33 are still vacant.

Out of 560 civil judge posts, 165 are vacant.

The paucity of judges has been the key bottleneck in the proficient management of cases and access to justice for citizens in Karnataka.

As the adage goes, justice delayed is justice denied, this is exactly the case in Karnataka.

There is a huge backlog of 21 lakh cases, which includes 10 lakh civil cases and more than 11 lakh criminal cases.

Earlier in February, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna stated that the court would hear the issue of vacant judicial posts in the districts of the states of Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.

A bench headed by Justices P.V. Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan gave directions in a suo motu case and stated that the Court was monitoring the situation in all districts across the country since 2018.

CJI Khanna also directed the High Courts to fill up vacant posts and stated,

“We want you to…do one exercise. I want each of the High Courts…to do the costing exercise…both with regard to the capital cost and the recurring cost. Without that, it serves no purpose.”

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