KOCHI: An inordinate delay in filling up the vacancies of judges in the High Court coupled with lack of initiatives in setting up subordinate courts have led to more than 11 lakh cases pending in various courts in the state. According to the information collected by ‘Express’ under Right To Information Act, there is a total of 11,05,924 cases pending before the courts in the state, including the Kerala High Court, till February 2011.Judicial officials say though there are frequent demands from various corners, there is a delay in filling the vacancies of judicial officials. “Recommendations have been made for appointing four judges in the High Court. Despite this, no proceedings in this regard have started yet. By July, there will be another vacancy. It can be one of the major reasons why the number of pending cases is increasing at the High Court,” Advocate-General C P Sudhakara Prasad said. As of February 2011, a total of 1,24,702 cases, including 94,186 civil cases and 30,516 criminal cases, are pending before the High Court. In the subordinate courts, there are 9,81,222 cases, including 3,62,257 civil cases and 6,18,965 criminal cases, pending till February. It has been pointed out that ensuring the efficiency of judges and thereby the quality of verdicts can lead to the fast disposal of cases. Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj said there should be a mechanism to ensure that those who are brilliant, efficient and has integrity were being recruited as judges. He stressed on the need for a total revamp in the system of recruiting judges. “Such a mechanism will help in ensuring that quality verdicts are processed at a faster pace. Also, there should be a mechanism for internal time management in courts” Kaleeswaram Raj said.
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