At 10.30 am on a Monday, a public prosecutor at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court was in a rush. Hastily adjusting his black blazer, he dashed into one courtroom, only to come out minutes later.
He slumped into a chair in the corridor, buried his face in his hands, stretched his tired shoulders and let out an exhausted sigh. There was little time to rest. He reached for his diary and scanned the list of cases he had to handle that day.
“Every day is so stressful. There are so many cases and it’s difficult to keep track,” he told The Indian Express.
He is among 292 public prosecutors in Delhi’s courts, several of whom have seen their workload grow following the transfer of 138 judges through a Delhi High Court notification last month and the opening of new courts at Rouse Avenue Court.
Thirteen judges have been posted to Rouse Avenue Court to hear cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Six are Special NIA Judges who will exclusively hear terror cases.
As a result, one PP now handles five courts, up from three, while another has been assigned three instead of one. They must also prepare for cases under unfamiliar special laws.
A total of 29 PPs have been impacted by the transfers.
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A shortage of prosecutors
Data shows that Delhi’s trial courts have only about half the public prosecutors they need.
As of August 2026, there were 32 sanctioned posts for public prosecutors, 210 for additional public prosecutors and 265 for assistant public prosecutors. Of these, only 16, 156 and 120 posts were filled, respectively, including 52 prosecutors working on a contractual basis.
This leaves vacancies of 50%, 25% and 54%, respectively.
Pending criminal cases in Delhi, meanwhile, increased from 13 lakh in mid-2025 to 15 lakh in mid-2026.
About 20,000 criminal cases are listed every day in Delhi’s trial courts. Most Sessions Courts have cause lists of about 20 to 25 cases a day, meaning prosecutors posted in multiple courts are dealing with up to 50 cases a day.
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Too many courts, too little time
Public prosecutors play a key role in the judicial machinery: They represent the state in serious criminal cases, argue the chargesheet, oppose bail, examine witnesses during trials and respond to applications filed by accused persons.
Explaining his workload, one public prosecutor said, “Judges request that I finish the arguments in their courts. I tell them my difficulty and explain that I have other matters in other courts. They’re shocked, but they agree to my request. Our day is just spent running from one courtroom to another.”
The problem is particularly acute in Sessions Courts, where cases require detailed reading of files. When hearings in different courts clash, prosecutors said they cannot argue either matter effectively and cases are adjourned.
“Handling one court is fine. There are dozens of cases but we know how to tackle them… But in the new courts that we’ve been assigned, we don’t know the details,” said another PP.
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A different public prosecutor said sometimes, they are left with little time to prepare for important cases. “We don’t even have time to read through case files sometimes. Once, I just had 20 minutes to understand a high-profile case. I had to argue for police custody,” he said.
“We can’t afford to skip any hearing as the judge will impose a cost on us. Lawyers for the accused persons start complaining if we’re late. On some days, I’m in 8 courts if other PPs are on leave. In neither of them, am I able to argue effectively. The accused persons are benefitting… while years of our hard work goes to waste,” said a PP at Rouse Avenue Court.
“Cases are rising, but our numbers remain the same. How can we be expected to look at multiple courts with serious cases at once? If it goes on like this without vacancies being filled, the whole system will fall,” he added.
Victims, witnesses affected
The prosecutors said the shortage is also affecting hearings involving victims and witnesses.
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“At times, I’m called by three different judges at the same time. In some instances, I’ve had to leave a hearing midway… This impacts the victims and prolongs the hearings,” a PP told The Indian Express.
Another prosecutor said preparing for cases in multiple courts is particularly difficult because of the volume and complexity.
“Some PPs are dealing with 1,000 cases… It takes a long time to scrutinise the police file and anticipate the defence’s arguments. We also have to prepare for examining witnesses… Arguments are happening only for formality’s sake… victims are suffering,” he added.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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