Budget 2026-27 | 5 crore pending cases, but judiciary gets only 0.08% allocation: Adv Asim Sarode

“The total public spending on the judiciary is less than 0.4% of the gross budgetary expenditure of the state and central governments taken together. The effects of all these are visible in the court’s performance,” he said.

Sarode emphasised that the problem of pendency, which has reached a staggering 5 crore cases with about 4 crore pending in lower courts alone, is a major obstacle to economic investment and growth. “This fact has been constantly ignored,” he said, adding that 45% of this pendency is considered in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, and Gujarat.

He noted that increased pendency is not always due to insufficient courts but also stems from inadequate court staff and courtroom availability. “The maximisation of the e-court project is required, for which till the last budget, only Rs 7,000 crore were allocated,” Sarode said. He also highlighted how low digital infrastructure is hampering judicial efficiency, particularly at district and taluka levels, where online hearing facilities remain unavailable.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Sarode called for reviving the Gram Nyayalaya system, once introduced as a vibrant concept during the time of Dr Manmohan Singh, to bring justice to the grassroots level. “Allocation of only Rs 50 crore by the Centre has resulted in making Gram Nyayalaya almost non-functional throughout the state. The state government is also not serious about strengthening it,” he said.

The advocate also recommended establishing research offices with experts in law, policy and technology at the Supreme Court and High courts, saying that judges are only experts in law and not all other fields.

Sarode even criticised the absence of monitoring systems for budgetary expenditure, noting that substantial funds are spent on protocol management and programs on things he considers non-issues.