India Awaits High Court Ad-Hoc Judge Nominations Amid Rising Case Backlog

More than a month after the Supreme Court gave the green light for ad-hoc judges in high courts, the Indian government has yet to receive candidate proposals from respective courts. This move, aimed at tackling the over 18 lakh pending criminal cases, uses Article 224A for retired judges' appointments.

Over a month has passed since the Supreme Court's decision to allow the appointment of ad-hoc judges in high courts, yet the government remains without proposals from the respective courts to name candidates. This delay hampers efforts to address a substantial backlog of cases.

The Supreme Court ruling on January 30 sanctioned the appointment of ad-hoc judges, capped at 10% of the total sanctioned strength, to alleviate the burden of over 18 lakh pending criminal cases. Article 224A of the Constitution allows retired judges to be appointed as ad-hoc judges for this purpose.

As part of the established procedure, recommendations from high court collegiums are expected, but these have not yet reached the Union law ministry. The apex court's verdict earlier imposed certain conditions, which were relaxed in a subsequent judgement. Concerns persist over the procedural delays in appointing these judges.