In a first, Supreme Court disposed of 52K cases against 49K filed in ’23

New Delhi, December 22

The Supreme Court disposed of 52,191 cases till December 15 as against 49,191 registered this year.

“The Supreme Court of India’s unprecedented disposal in 2023 marks a watershed moment in the nation’s legal history. The judiciary’s proactive approach, coupled with the adoption of technology and strategic reforms, has set a new standard for timely and efficient justice delivery,” the top court said in a statement.

“This achievement not only reflects the resilience and adaptability of the Indian legal system but also reaffirms the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the principles of justice in a rapidly evolving world,” it said.

According to figures displayed on the National Judicial Data Grid, there are 80,044 cases currently pending in the Supreme Court.

“With strenuous efforts, the pendency of five-Judge Constitution Bench matters has been reduced from 36 to 19 (in 4 matters, judgment is reserved), six matters pertaining to seven judges, five matters of nine judges. In all these matters, dates have been notified for hearing,” the release stated.

“Even during the vacation, it was for the first time that all the matters which involved human liberty were duly listed from May 22 to July 2. As many as 2,262 matters were listed and 780 matters were disposed of,” it said, adding many of these cases were pending for more than two decades. “The said targets could only be achieved since the Chief Justice of India has designated specific Benches for hearing death reference cases including other criminal matters, Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) matters, land acquisition matters, compensation matters, direct tax matters, indirect tax matters, and arbitration matters,” it said.