The Ministry of Law and Justice has said that India is facing a serious shortage of judges, with only 22 judges per million people, which is too low to ensure timely justice.

This figure is based on the 2011 Census population and the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court, High Courts, and lower courts up to 2026. The low number shows long-standing problems in the judicial system.

As per official data, the Supreme Court has 34 sanctioned judges, with 33 currently in place. In the High Courts, only 814 judges are working against a sanctioned strength of 1,122, leaving many posts vacant. At the district and subordinate court level, there are 20,833 judges, who deal with most cases in the country.

The Law Commission of India has recommended 50 judges per million people to ensure speedy justice, but India is still far from this target.

The impact of delays is also seen in prisons. According to the NCRB, there were 3.89 lakh undertrial prisoners in 2023. The government said delays happen due to many reasons, including complex cases, lack of judges and staff, and infrastructure issues.

The Centre said it is working to reduce case delays by using technology under the e-Courts project and by providing funds to states to improve court infrastructure.

The Law Minister also said that between 2018 and January 23, 2026, 847 judges were appointed, including judges from SC, ST, OBC, and minority communities, and 130 women judges in High Courts, showing slow but steady progress towards diversity.