Chandigarh, 17 February 2025 – Chief Justice Sheel Nagu administered the oath of office to Harmeet Singh Grewal and Deepinder Singh Nalwa as additional judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday.
Their appointments raise the number of sitting judges to 53, though the court continues to face a shortfall of 32 judges against a sanctioned strength of 85. Three more judges are set to retire this year, further affecting judicial capacity.
The appointment process, requiring approvals from state governments, governors, the Supreme Court collegium, and the Union law ministry, has contributed to delays in filling vacancies. The lengthy clearance procedure, which often takes several months, has added to the strain on the judiciary.
These appointments come amid a massive backlog of 4.32 lakh pending cases, according to the National Judicial Data Grid’s January figures. Nearly 85 per cent of these cases have remained unresolved for over a year, with some dating back almost four decades. Of the pending cases, 2,68,279 are civil matters, while 1,63,948 are criminal cases, affecting fundamental rights such as life and liberty.
Data shows that 15 per cent of pending cases are less than a year old, while 30 per cent have been unresolved for five to 10 years. Notably, 29 per cent have remained stuck in the system for over a decade.
