Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 6: The Bombay High Court, one of the country’s oldest and busiest, is functioning with only 65 judges far below its sanctioned strength of 94 raising serious concerns about the mounting workload on its judiciary.

Speaking at the felicitation ceremony of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta, a former Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, shed light on the chronic shortage. “Only once between 2019 and 2020 did the High Court reach 75 judges. That was the only time it never touched 90,” he said.

Justice Datta pointed out that during his tenure in 2021, the number of judges dropped to just 50 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Do you think 60–70 judges can do the work meant for 94?” he asked.

Despite two new appointments on Friday advocates Gautam Ashwin Ankhad and Mahendra Madhavrao Nerlikar as additional judges the strength remains at just about 70% of the sanctioned capacity.

Justice Datta emphasized the toll this shortage takes on the health and personal lives of judges. “Judges here spend 15–16 hours a day working. You’re doing a great disservice to your family and yourself,” he warned, adding that sympathy after burnout or health crises is short-lived.

He recalled a recent instance where a judge, burdened by late-night work, had to explain in a judgment the delay in uploading the copy due to excessive workload. “You don’t need to clarify. Everyone understands,” Justice Datta said.

He further revealed that Chief Justice BR Gavai had sought his opinion on 15–16 names for potential appointments to the bench. “Even if 12–13 names are approved, it will help. But even 94 judges are too few for the Bombay High Court,” he noted.

Justice Datta’s remarks have once again highlighted the urgent need for timely judicial appointments to ensure justice delivery does not suffer due to administrative backlog.