Srinagar, Aug 2: The pendency of cases in district and subordinate courts in the center area of Jammu and Kashmir is increasing due to increasing litigation, shortage of judicial officers and delay in setting up new courts. Meanwhile, the center area of Ladakh is struggling with the absence of the infrastructure of the court in half of its sub-division-according to a report Daily excelsier,
In response to questions on judicial backlog and infrastructure, the situation came to light through the answers presented by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal for law and justice.
According to shared data, the number of cases pending in the district and subordinate courts of J&K increased to 216,245 in December 2021 to December 2020. By the end of 2022, it moved forward to 272,543, and by July 28, 2025, Pendency reached 335,513 cases. In the center region of Ladakh, currently 1,417 cases are pending.
Of the 322 sanctioned posts of judicial officers in J&K, 50 are vacant. Similarly, in Ladakh, seven posts are unformed. Officials of the High Court Registry said that although the courts are disposing of cases at a significant rate, the quantity of incoming cases has exceeded their capacity, as factors citing increased awareness, population growth and socio-economic challenges.
An official comment said, “In many districts, judicial authorities are overwhelmed than the managerial boundaries more than Cassalids, which seriously affects justice distribution.” “The judge-to-population ratio remains significantly below the National Benchmark.”
In addition, according to data presented in Parliament, 45,296 cases are pending before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Law Ministry said that the government has taken several initiatives to speed up improvement in judicial functioning and speed disposal under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Responding to a query of Ladakh MP Mohammad Hanifa, the Law Minister said that Ladakh has an executive infrastructure that Ladakh has 10 sub-wishes, only five-zanskar, Shanku, Khaltsi, Nubra and Dras. The remaining five continue to work without proper judicial facilities.
To bridge the gap, ₹ 8.33 crore has been released under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) in the last five years, with one other place for 2025–26 and another place of 2 crores. Currently, Ladakh has 11 court halls and four residential units, while four more court halls and two residences are under construction.
From January 2022 to the end of 2024, National Lok Adalat resolved 5,375 cases in Ladakh, while the state folk Edalat resolved 240. The UT has also submitted special mobile magistrate courts in Kargil and Leh, and more than 1,500 inhabitants have been launched in August 2024.
