Shortage of 4.2K courtrooms, 6K residential units for judges
Satya Prakash
New Delhi, December 18
Poor judicial infrastructure is making it all the more difficult for around 21,000 judges in dealing with the task of clearing a backlog of more than five crore cases in India.
“For the sanctioned strength of 25,081 judges in the district judiciary, there is a shortage of 4,250 courtrooms and 6,021 residential units. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (40.78%), and Tripura (35.93%) have the maximum shortage of courtrooms… Delhi and J&K & Ladakh have 61% shortage of residential accommodations for judicial officers,” a Supreme Court report has revealed.
“A well-equipped courtroom is the most basic aspect for augmenting the judicial infrastructure. A state-of-the-art courtroom is a pre-requisite for every judge for efficient justice delivery. However, the increase in infrastructure has not kept pace with the corresponding increase in the number of judges,” the report lamented.
“Of 2,524 under construction projects, 1,085 projects (42.9%) for construction of courtrooms are pending for more than three years, as of April 2023. Only 59.2% of the district courtrooms have power backup,” it stated.
Noting that only 35.7% of district court complexes have functional CCTV surveillance facilities, it said: “There is a need for a stringent access control mechanism in district courts by way of court-specific entry passes for visitors, functional baggage scanners and metal detectors at all entry points and biometric devices to enhance overall security of court buildings.”
According to the report, 73.5% of the available court premises were owned by the judiciary, 13.3% by the government and 2.6% (626 courtrooms) are rented premises, while 35 courts in the district judiciary of J&K and Ladakh were functioning on an ad-hoc arrangement from rented accommodation or otherwise.
In May 2022, a dilapidated court boundary of Biharsharif District Court collapsed during the court proceedings, killing a woman, it stated.
“A court building extends beyond the mere presence of a physical structure. It encompasses within itself the provision for essential amenities, such as good lighting, proper ventilation, power backup, video-conferencing facilities, witness box, sufficient furniture for court staff and lawyers,” it stated.
The report highlighted the fact that “only 59.2% of the district courtrooms have power backup. It not only causes inconvenience to judges, staff and lawyers in ensuring a swift process of trial in case of power outage, but also poses a barrier in realising the benefits of technology under the e-Courts project.”
Prepared by the Centre for Research & Planning of the Supreme Court of India, ‘STATE OF THE JUDICIARY: A Report on Infrastructure, Budgeting, Human Resources” was released last month.
