Case pendency plagues SC as backlog hits all-time high of 88,417

15 SEPTEMBER 2025

The Supreme Court’s pendency has reached an all-time high of 88,417 cases of which civil cases are 69,553 and criminal cases are 18,864
In August 2025, 7,080 cases were filed while only 5,667 were disposed of (80.04% disposal rate).
In 2025 so far, 52,630 cases have been filed, while 46,309 have been disposed of (≈88% disposal rate).
Chief Justice B.R. Gavai renamed the summer vacation (May 23 – July) as “partial working days”, with 21 Benches functioning in batches to reduce backlog.
Pendency continues to rise despite full judicial strength of 34 judges and fast government approval of collegium recommendations, sometimes within 48 hours.
The backlog has been rising since the pandemic years, and especially after 2023.
A November 2023 collegium resolution stressed that the court cannot afford even a single vacancy due to the “ever-mounting pendency” and “huge workload.”