Justice on Standby: The Judicial Vacancy Crisis in India

The Indian judiciary is currently grappling with a systemic crisis that threatens the very foundation of the rule of law, and an acute and persistent shortage of judges. As of early 2026, the gap between the sanctioned strength of the judiciary and the actual number of judges in office has reached a tipping point, leaving millions of litigants in a state of perpetual wait.

The Numbers of Despair

The scale of the vacancy is staggering. Data from the Department of Justice reveals that nearly 30% of positions in High Courts remain unfilled, with the Allahabad High Court alone facing over 80 vacancies. In the subordinate courts, the frontline of the justice system, there are over 5,000 vacant posts. This shortage has pushed India’s judge-to-population ratio to roughly 21 judges per million people, far below the Law Commission’s long-standing recommendation of 50 per million.

The Pendency Nightmare

The direct consequence of this judicial deficit is a mountain of unresolved cases. Total pendency across all levels of the judiciary has surged to over 50 million cases. In the High Courts, nearly 41% of cases have been pending for five years or longer. This backlog is not merely a statistical issue it translates into thousands of undertrials languishing in jails and businesses stalled by unresolved commercial disputes.

The Path Forward

The bottleneck often lies in the friction between the Collegium system and the Executive, alongside delays in state-level recruitment exams. Solutions like the appointment of retired judges and the potential establishment of an All India Judicial Service are frequently debated but slow to implement. Until the recruitment process is streamlined and judicial strength is treated as a national priority, the promise of speedy justice will remain an elusive dream for the common citizen.