The Supreme Court of India organized a National Conference on Addressing Issues Faced by the State Judiciary on February 1, focusing on the challenges encountered by the state judiciary, particularly district courts, and exploring potential solutions.

The conference brought together Supreme Court and High Court judges, district judges from across the country, and senior officials from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice to engage in discussions aimed at improving judicial efficiency.

The conference featured four key sessions, each addressing a critical aspect of judicial administration:

Case Backlog and Disposal

1. • Chaired by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Abhay S. Oka, BV Nagarathna, and Dipankar Datta.
   • Focused on reducing case pendency, identifying bottlenecks, and developing strategies to expedite case disposal at various judicial levels.

2. Technology and Case Categorization

   • Led by Justice BR Gavai, with Justices PS Narasimha and KV Viswanathan.
   • Discussions centered on standardizing case classification across courts and leveraging technology to enhance judicial efficiency.

3. Judicial Appointments and Infrastructure

   • Chaired by Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices JK Maheshwari and Sudhanshu Dhulia.
   • Addressed the need for timely recruitment of judicial officers, empanelment of public prosecutors and legal aid counsel, transparency in judicial transfers, and elevation of district judges to High Courts.

4. Training and Accountability

   • Led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, with Justices Vikram Nath, MM Sundresh, and Bela Trivedi.
   • Covered career progression, continuous performance evaluation, mentoring of judicial officers, judicial training, and mechanisms for ensuring accountability of judicial officers and court staff.

The conference served as a platform for judicial stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions on judicial reforms, including strategies to tackle high case pendency across India’s courts.

In a related development, on January 21, the Supreme Court indicated that it was considering relaxing conditions for appointing ad hoc judges in High Courts to address the growing backlog of criminal appeals.

A Special Bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, and Justice Surya Kant observed that certain conditions outlined in an April 2021 judgment for the appointment of ad hoc judges might need modification.

The Court suggested that once ad hoc judges are appointed, they could form part of Division Benches alongside regular High Court judges to expedite criminal appeals.

Subsequently, on January 30, the Supreme Court passed an order permitting High Courts to recommend retired judges for ad hoc appointments to help clear pending criminal cases.

These measures signal the judiciary’s ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency, strengthen infrastructure, and address delays in the justice delivery system.