Thu May 08 22:51:16 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Urges Government to Expedite High Court Judge Appointments
**New Delhi, May 9, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India has issued a strong call for the central government to swiftly approve pending recommendations for High Court judge appointments. The court noted that significant vacancies are severely impacting the administration of justice nationwide.
Justice A.S. Oka, a member of the Supreme Court Collegium, stated that the government must act expeditiously to clear the backlog. The Collegium’s 29 recommendations for High Court judges, submitted since November 9, 2022, remain pending with the government.
The court’s concern stems from a suo motu case addressing the need for streamlined bail processes, particularly for undertrials. The sheer volume of pending cases—over seven lakh criminal appeals in High Courts—highlights the crisis. The Allahabad High Court, for example, operates with only 79 judges against a sanctioned strength of 160, facing over two lakh pending criminal appeals. Similar shortages plague other High Courts, including Bombay, Delhi, and Calcutta. The Supreme Court emphasized the urgent need to address these judicial vacancies to alleviate the strain on the justice system.
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