Efficient district judiciary crucial for mitigating challenges of pendency, backlog: Justice Khanna

New Delhi: The entire judiciary is facing the problem of pendency and backlog of cases, and efficient functioning of the district judiciary is crucial in mitigating these challenges, Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the Supreme Court said on Saturday.

Speaking here at the 'National Conference of the District Judiciary', which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice Khanna said the image of the judiciary for the common public is projected by the district court judges as mostly the citizens come in contact with these judges as parties or as witnesses.

Justice Khanna said data reveals that disposal rates in district courts have gone up considerably since 2018.

"Today, the entire judiciary is faced with the problem of pendency and backlog of cases. Thus, efficient functioning of the district judiciary is crucial to mitigating these challenges," he said.

In his welcome address, he said, "To look at the brighter side, the data reveals that the disposal rates in the district courts have gone up considerably since 2018." The top court judge said that in 2018, the percentage of civil cases disposed of, including previously pending cases, compared to the freshly instituted cases stood at 93.15 per cent.

Justice Khanna said in 2023, the disposal rate of civil cases shot up to 99.61 per cent.

He said in 2018, the rate of disposal of criminal cases stood at 86.65 per cent, which increased to 95 per cent in 2023.

"A closer look at the data from 2023 reveals the following interesting data points. Majority of the civil cases amounting to 38.24 per cent were disposed of within a year of being instituted," Justice Khanna said, adding that 71.82 per cent of criminal cases were disposed of in one year.

He said around 11 states have successfully reduced the case backlogs by disposing of more cases than were instituted in a year.

Justice Khanna said a number of steps have been taken to reduce pendency, including taking the help of 'Lok Adalats' as far as traffic challans are concerned and the creation of e-courts to deal with petty offences.

He said judicial impact assessment, a much-discussed strategy for case management at all tiers of the judiciary, can be a powerful tool in assessing and enhancing the human resources and infrastructure in the judiciary.

"Truly interacting with the data, we can know our successes and weak points. Ultimately, it is not the grandeur of the courtrooms or the sophistication of our technology that will define us. Rather, we will be defined by our unwavering commitment to delivering justice by enhancing access to justice, serving the people with compassion, empathy and fairness," Justice Khanna said.

He said in the expanse of the judicial hierarchy, the district judiciary often finds itself overshadowed by the high courts and the Supreme Court.

"To put things in perspective, in the calendar year 2023, our district courts handled over 10 times more cases than the high courts," Justice Khanna added.

Referring to the conference, he said it was a historic congregation of approximately 800 judicial officers from across the country.

"We are deeply honoured by the presence of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. He has consistently expressed his regard for the judiciary and has presented his vision for its evolution," he said.

Justice Khanna said the technological acumen of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has brought about path-breaking changes and his commitment to the cause of justice and tireless efforts have brought about district judiciary to the forefront.

Besides PM Modi, the CJI, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Justice Khanna, Attorney General R Venkataramani, Supreme Court Bar Association president Kapil Sibal and Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra also addressed the gathering.

The two-day function is being organised by the Supreme Court.

President Droupadi Murmu will deliver the valedictory address on September 1 and will also unveil the flag and insignia of the Supreme Court, a statement issued by the apex court on Friday said.