29 Collegium recommendations pending: Supreme Court urges Centre to clear judicial appointments quickly

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over the mounting backlog of criminal appeals in High Courts and urged the Central Government to expedite pending Collegium recommendations for judicial appointments. [In Re: Policy Strategy for grant of bail].A Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed,"Two days back, recommendations made by Supreme Court Collegium for High Court judges were put up on the website. Many recommendations are pending with the Central government. In 2025, twelve recommendations are pending. This is one aspect where the Central government needs to act and ensure that recommendations of the Collegium are dealt with expeditiously. We hope and trust that the pending proposals may be cleared by the Central government at the earliest.".The Court noted that several High Courts are operating with significant judge vacancies, which has contributed to the growing pendency. As per data on the Department of Justice website, the Allahabad High Court, with over 2.7 lakh pending criminal appeals, has only 88 judges against a sanctioned strength of 160. Similarly, the Bombay High Court has 65 judges against a sanctioned strength of 94, while the Calcutta High Court has 46 judges against a sanctioned strength of 72.The bench referred to data showing that 29 Collegium recommendations made since November 2022 are still pending with the Centre. This includes 4 from 2023, 13 from 2024, and 12 from 2025, along with certain reiterated proposals. .The Court was hearing a plea concerning pendency of criminal matters in High Courts when it made observations on vacancies in the courts. On pendency aspect, a note was submitted by the Amicus Curiae highlighting the scale of criminal case pendency across High Courts, with the total reaching 7,24,192 as of March 22, 2025. The Court emphasised that these delays are affecting access to justice and directed all High Courts to prepare action plans for clearing arrears.The Court also suggested measures to improve case management, including the use of virtual hearings, physical verification of court records and deployment of artificial intelligence tools like Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS) for faster translation. It further recommended that dedicated benches be set up to hear criminal appeals and that legal aid be promptly provided if accused or advocates fail to cooperate.The Court has asked High Courts to place their action plans on record within four weeks to ensure more effective case management and reduce delays in criminal appeals.Senior Advocate Liz Matthew is amicus curiae in the matter..[Read Order].[Read Live Coverage]