Thu Jan 30 18:02:33 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Relaxes Restrictions on Appointment of Ad Hoc High Court Judges
**NEW DELHI, January 30, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India has eased restrictions on appointing ad hoc judges to State High Courts, aiming to address the overwhelming backlog of cases. A special bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, overturned a 2021 ruling that required judicial vacancies to exceed 20% of sanctioned strength before ad hoc appointments could be made.
The court cited the urgent need to reduce case pendency, noting that High Courts are grappling with over 60 lakh pending cases, including nearly 20 lakh criminal appeals. The new ruling allows for the appointment of ad hoc judges—retired High Court judges appointed under Article 224A of the Constitution—even if the vacancy rate is below 20%.
However, limitations remain. The number of ad hoc judges cannot exceed 10% of a High Court’s sanctioned judicial strength. Other conditions from the 2021 judgment, such as prolonged case pendency in specific categories, still apply. The ad hoc judges may assist sitting judges in hearing criminal appeals.
This decision is expected to significantly impact the efficiency of High Courts in clearing the substantial backlog of cases.
First Piper 