‘India has 22 judges per 10 lakh people’, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• India has approximately 22 judges per 10 lakh population.
• The Law Commission recommended 50 judges per 10 lakh population in 1987.
• The data is based on the 2011 Census population of 1210.85 million.
• The calculation includes the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court, High Courts, and district and subordinate courts.

Detailed Insights:

• The Law Commission's 120th report in 1987 highlighted the need to increase the judge-to-population ratio to improve access to justice and reduce case backlogs.
• The current ratio is calculated using the sanctioned strength of judges across all levels of the judiciary against the population data from the 2011 Census.
• A lower judge-to-population ratio can lead to delays in case disposal, increased pendency, and potential denial of timely justice to citizens.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Judge-to-population ratio: The number of judges available per unit of population, indicating the accessibility of the judicial system.
• Law Commission: A non-statutory body constituted by the Government of India to conduct research in the field of law and make recommendations for its development and reform.
• Pendency: The number of cases that are awaiting resolution in the courts.