25% judicial posts vacant in Uttarakhand, pendency rises to 2.3 lakh reveals RTI

Even as the pendency of cases are mounting in courts across Uttarakhand, as many as 75 judicial posts, including a post of a high court judge, are lying vacant, reveals an RTI reply.

“There are a total of 291 sanctioned positions in the state judiciary, including the high court, of which nearly 25% positions are lying vacant, which the government should fill shortly to deal with huge pendency of nearly 2.33 lakh,” said Nadeemuddin, the activist who had filed an RTI query.

“There are 10 judges in the high court, out of the total 11 sanctioned positions,” he added.

The shortage of staff comes at a time when the total pendency in the high court is 32,190 -22,537 civil and 9,653 criminal cases – and nearly 1.99 lakh – more than 1.66 lakh civil and 32,770 criminal cases – in lower courts, reveals RTI.

In December 2014, the total pending cases in the high court were 23,105, which increased to 26,680 in December 2015, and in December 2016, the number swelled to 32,004.

In lower courts, the pendency in 2014 was more than 1.45 lakh, which increased to 1.66 lakh in December 2015 and 1.9 lakh in December 2016.