Total Pending Cases in Indian Courts
India’s courts face a massive backlog of cases, with recent data indicating over 47 million pending across district, high courts, and the Supreme Court. This pendency hampers timely justice delivery.
Latest Figures
The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) reports approximately 47.6 million total pending cases as of late 2024 data, including 11 million civil and 36.5 million criminal cases, primarily in subordinate courts. Estimates for 2025 project around 52.5 million cases nationwide, up 2% from 2024, with Uttar Pradesh leading at 117 lakh cases.
Breakdown by Court Level
Subordinate (district) courts hold over 85% of cases, around 45 million, while high courts account for about 62 lakh and the Supreme Court a fraction. By March 2026, totals exceeded 55.8 million, including over 180,000 cases pending beyond 30 years.
State-wise Highlights
Uttar Pradesh tops with 117 lakh cases, followed by Maharashtra (54 lakh), Bihar (38 lakh), West Bengal (32 lakh), and Tamil Nadu (29 lakh). Age-wise, 40% of cases are under one year old, 23% between 1-3 years.
