Sirsa courts buckle under mounting backlog as pendency nears 50,000

Sirsa district’s judicial system is reeling under an escalating backlog, with 49,769 civil and criminal cases pending across its courts as of September 2025 — a sharp rise from 47,412 cases just six months ago, according to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

The figures reveal a deepening crisis of rising pendency, stagnant disposal rates and mounting pressure on limited judicial manpower across the Sessions Division comprising Sirsa, Dabwali, Ellenabad and Rania. Despite the consistent surge in litigation, there has been no significant addition of judges or systemic procedural reform.

The District & Sessions Court, Sirsa alone accounts for 14,092 pending matters, while subordinate courts have 35,677 cases awaiting disposal. Criminal cases dominate the docket, with over 35,000 pending, underscoring both the volume and gravity of unresolved disputes.

NJDG data shows that pendency has grown by over 8,000 cases in 17 months, rising from 41,762 in April 2024 to nearly 50,000 by September 2025. Many judicial officers are now handling thousands of cases individually, reflecting the acute strain on the system.

Among the Sessions Court judges, Additional District & Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Seema Singhal faces the highest individual pendency with 3,627 criminal cases. She is followed by AD&SJ Rajan Walia, who is handling 2,100 total cases, including 1,473 civil matters.

In the Family Court, Additional Principal Judge Sumit Garg has 2,408 pending cases, while Principal Judge Krishan Kant manages 1,940 matters, almost evenly split between civil and criminal categories.

Lower judiciary burdened most

At the subordinate level, Sirsa city courts bear the heaviest load, with 21,511 cases pending. Civil Judge (Jr. Div.)-cum-JMIC Richu faces the highest individual pendency at this tier — 6,910 civil and criminal cases combined — followed by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Santosh Bagotia, who has 3,683 cases.

Courts in Dabwali have 7,986 pending cases, those in Ellenabad handle 5,938, while the Gram Nyayalaya at Rania, the rural court, has 242 cases yet to be decided.

‘System stretched to the limit’

Despite over 20 judicial officers serving in the district, the workload continues to mount, particularly in criminal matters. Of the 49,769 total cases, 35,064 are criminal and 14,705 are civil.

Legal experts and court insiders attribute the situation to staff shortages, inadequate technological tools and delayed postings.

“Without strengthening the lower judiciary with adequate staff and digital resources, pendency will keep rising despite judges’ best efforts,” said a senior advocate at the Sirsa Bar.