Punjab & Haryana High Court gets 2 new judges; but 32 vacancies remain

Harmeet Singh Grewal and Deepinder Singh Nalwa were administered the oath of office as additional judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu here on Monday.

With their appointment, the number of judges will increase to 53. However, the high court will continue to face a shortage of 32 judges. The high court's sanctioned strength is 85. Three judges are set to retire this year.

The lengthy and complex process of appointing judges, which involves clearance by state governments, governors, the Supreme Court collegium, and the Union law ministry, has contributed to the delay in filling vacancies.

The process takes several months, adding to the pressure on the judicial system. These two appointments come at a time when the high court is grappling with a pendency of 4.32 lakh cases.

According to the National Judicial Data Grid's January figures, nearly 85 per cent of these cases have remained unresolved for over a year, with some dating back nearly four decades. Of the 4,32,227 pending cases, 2,68,279 are civil matters, while 1,63,948 are criminal cases, directly impacting fundamental rights such as life and liberty.

Data indicates that 15 per cent of the pending cases fall in the category of less than one year, while 30 per cent have been unresolved for five to 10 years. Alarmingly, 29 per cent of cases have remained pending for over a decade.