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India Supreme Court launches 'doorstep delivery of justice' to reduce thousands of case backlog
Supreme Court has nearly 95,000 pending cases, while district and higher courts have almost 56 million cases unresolved; one reason for delay is non-availability of counsels
- PUBLISHED: Wed 22 Apr 2026, 7:24 PM
The Indian Supreme Court has launched a nationwide initiative to ensure “doorstep delivery of justice” to ensure amicable settlement of pending cases through consent-based dispute resolution.
The country’s apex court has total pending cases of nearly 95,000, while almost 56 million cases are pending across the spectrum, from high courts (about 6.5 million) to district and subordinate cases, which make up for the rest.
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The programme, launched formally on Tuesday, will run for four months and ensure resolution of pending cases before special ‘Lok Adalat’ sittings.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, the law and justice minister, told parliament that 48 million cases were pending in the lower courts across the country. There were more than 4,800 vacant posts for judges in district courts and almost 300 in the high courts.
Allahabad high court in Uttar Pradesh had the maximum number of vacant posts, adding up to 60, and the largest number of pending cases, which totalled over 11 million.
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The “Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonization Across Nation” - Samadhan Samaroh 2026 - will culminate in a special Lok Adalat from August 21 to 23.
Judicial reforms
The move for ‘participative justice’ will encourage litigants, lawyers, and stakeholders to opt for amicable settlement of pending cases before the Supreme court through consent-based mechanisms. It has also set up a dedicated ‘war room’ and online portal to facilitate the speeding up of hearings.
Surya Kant, the Supreme court chief justice, has been pushing for mediation and alternate dispute resolution (ADR) procedures, as part of judicial reforms in the country. “Mediation creates a win-win situation,” he had announced earlier. Importantly, it ensures that both sides emerge “with smiling faces”, and improving the country’s social fabric.
The National Judicial data grid last year revealed there were more than 53 million pending cases across all courts in India. The main reasons for the delay in disposal of cases in lower courts included non-availability of counsels, absconding accused, missing witnesses, stay orders by lower courts, awaiting of documents, frequent appeals and stays by district courts and even the Supreme court.
The chief justice emphasised that settlement should be seen as a strategy, not surrender. Litigants must not consider it as some kind of capitulation. He also urged governments across the country to avoid challenging every adverse order, as it only adds to the burdens of the courts.
