India's High Courts collectively have a sanctioned strength of 1,114 judges. As of April 2026, only 715 are in position — a vacancy rate of 34%. The Allahabad High Court, India's largest, is functioning at 57% capacity. The Calcutta High Court, at 52%. The Bombay High Court, which covers Maharashtra, Goa and two Union Territories, has 94 judges against a sanctioned strength of 94 — one of the few fully staffed courts in the country. Across all courts, including district and sub-district levels, 5.14 crore cases are pending.
Judicial Vacancy Crisis — Data Points
- 399 of 1,114 HC posts vacant — 34% vacancy rate
- Allahabad HC: 160 sanctioned, 91 working (57% strength)
- Collegium cleared 112 names in 6 months; government acted on 31 (27.7%)
- Average time from collegium recommendation to government appointment: 11 months
- 5.14 crore total pending cases across all courts (NJDG, April 2026)
- Cases pending over 10 years: 69 lakh
“The government delays in acting on Collegium recommendations is the primary driver of the vacancy problem. If cleared names were appointed within 30 days, as they should be constitutionally, we would not be in this situation.”
— Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, Supreme Court of India
34%
HC vacancy rate
5.14Cr
Cases pending
399
Vacant HC posts
69L
Cases >10 years old
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Ananya Krishnamurthy
Judiciary Reporter
Ananya covers the Supreme Court, High Courts and access-to-justice issues from New Delhi. She has reported on landmark constitutional cases since 2019.