Supreme Court Case Backlog Surpasses 88,000

Swift Summary

• The supreme Court of India faces an all-time high pendency of 88,417 cases, despite functioning with its full sanctioned judicial strength of 34 judges.
• Out of these pending cases, 69,553 are civil matters adn 18,864 are criminal cases.
• In August 2025 alone, the apex court saw a filing rate surpassing disposal rates: 7,080 fresh cases filed versus only 5,667 disposed (80.04% of incoming cases).
• Chief Justice B.R. Gavai introduced ‘partial working days’ during summer holidays (may-July) to combat the backlog; a total of 21 Benches worked during this period.
• Despite maintaining zero judicial vacancies and prompt government approvals for Collegium recommendations on judge appointments throughout recent years, pendency continues to rise steadily since pandemic years and escalated further after 2023.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The growing case backlog in India’s Supreme Court highlights systemic challenges that require deeper institutional reforms beyond temporary measures such as summer recess hearings or filling vacancies promptly. While recent Chief Justices have sought creative solutions to address pendencies-such as more benches or faster appointments-the steady increase underscores the need for comprehensive strategies like improving lower court efficiency or diverting less complex cases from apex jurisdiction.

This sustained increase could impact access to justice by delaying resolutions in critical criminal and civil matters-affecting individuals and businesses alike-and weighs heavily on public trust in the judiciary’s operational effectiveness.

Read more here: Converting court case backlogs into treasure troves