The Supreme Court stated on Tuesday that high courts are not under its supervisory control, and it is unreasonable to expect them to handle all matters efficiently when operating at half their capacity. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made this statement while rejecting a request for the Allahabad High Court to expedite the resolution of an appeal that has been pending for over 13 years. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the high court had received two applications requesting early resolution. In response, the bench advised continuing to file requests, questioning how the high courts could manage their workload effectively with reduced staffing.
They noted that older cases are also awaiting resolution and suggested making formal requests to the high court. Although the bench declined to hear the plea, it permitted the petitioner to approach the high court for an expedited hearing of the pending case, assuring that such a request would be duly considered. Justice Nath, recalling his years of practice at the Allahabad High Court, emphasized the significant effort required to get cases listed, stating that submitting two applications is often insufficient and that hundreds may be necessary.
Current statistics from the law ministry indicate that while the authorized number of judges in high courts is 1,122, there are only 792 judges currently serving, resulting in 330 vacancies as of September 1.