'Time Has Come For All India Judicial Services': CJI Chandrachud Emphasises On Tackling Pending Court Cases

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud emphasised the need to implement All India Judicial Services (AIJS) so that vacancies in the positions for judicial officers can be filled quickly and cases are solved expeditiously.

While speaking at a valedictory ceremony of the district judiciary on Sunday (1 September), Chandrachud said that despite almost 30 per cent vacancies, the disposal rate is 95 per cent on average.

However, he acknowledged that tackling 4.5 crore pending cases remains a challenge and said, "Increasing our disposal-to-filing ratio hinges on attracting skilled personnel."

Chandrachud pointed out that at the district level, vacancies in judicial personnel stand at 28 per cent and of non-judicial staff at 27 per cent.

"For disposal to outweigh the institution of cases, courts must work beyond the capacity of 71-100 per cent," the CJI estimated as per Times of India.

"Time has come to think of national integration by recruiting members to judicial services across narrow walls of regionalism and state-centred selections," he added.

Notably, the Narendra Modi government had brought a proposal for AIJS in 2015 but found no takers. Only the Haryana and Mizoram governments and the High Courts of Tripura and Sikkim supported it.

The CJI called the presence of female-friendly infrastructure in only 6.7 per cent of district courts unacceptable and emphasised on inclusivity and accessibility measures.

"Some key measures are developing a comprehensive framework for gender equality in decision making; adopting measures to recruit, retain and promote members from diverse and vulnerable groups," he added.