‘Major hurdle will be to chip away at the 90,000 pending cases in the SC’, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• Justice Surya Kant, the CJI-designate, aims to reduce the Supreme Court's pending cases, which currently stand at over 90,000.
• He plans to prioritize the resolution of long-pending cases involving significant questions of law through Constitution Benches.
• Justice Kant intends to identify crucial cases that stall lower courts from deciding connected issues.
• He also emphasized encouraging mediation as a primary means of dispute resolution.

Detailed Insights:

• The high number of pending cases in the Supreme Court has a trickle-down effect, hindering the resolution of connected cases in lower courts.
• Justice Kant plans to constitute nine-judge and seven-judge Benches to deliver authoritative declarations of law, which will help clear the backlog.
• He has sought information from High Courts regarding long-pending cases to address the issue comprehensively.
• Justice Kant suggests that litigants should approach High Courts first, rather than directly moving to the Supreme Court, to reduce the apex court's burden.
• Encouraging mediation is a key part of Justice Kant's agenda to resolve disputes efficiently and reduce the burden on the judicial system.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Constitution Bench: A bench of the Supreme Court with at least five judges, formed to decide substantial questions of law regarding the interpretation of the Constitution.
• Mediation: A process where a neutral third party facilitates communication between disputing parties to help them reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
• Pendency: The state of cases that are filed in a court but not yet disposed of or resolved.