Long wait for justice: Millions of cases stuck in courts

India’s judicial system handles roughly 2,600 cases every day, but that isn’t enough to keep up with all of the cases generated in a country of more than a billion people.

India’s judicial system handles roughly 2,600 cases every day, but that isn’t enough to keep up with all of the cases generated in a country of more than a billion people.

More than 22 million cases are currently pending in the district courts, according to government data.

More than 22 million cases are currently pending in the district courts, according to government data. Of these, 7.5 million are civil cases, of which more than 6 million have dragged on for more than five years.

FUTURE TENSE

According to a 2012 National Court Management Systems report, whilethe number of judges increased six-fold in the last three decades, thenumber of cases shot up 12-fold. The report estimated that in the nextthree decades, the number of new cases filed per thousand people willincrease from the current rate of about 15 to about 75 cases.