With 11 More Posts, Madras HC Has 15 vacancies

New Delhi, Sep 9 (UNI) With four of its 49 judgeships already vacant, the Madras High Court has been sanctioned 11 more posts to help it tackle more than 435,000 case arrears, the Law and Justice Ministry officials said today.

Officials said Madras High Court Chief Justice A K Ganguly had sought a sanction for 20 more judges.

Communicating the government's decision, Law and Justice Minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj asked Justice Ganguly to recommend names for filling the new posts, they said.

Vacancies in judgeships are seen by experts among key factors responsible for pendency in India's 21 High Courts, which has grown to 3.8 million cases and is rising.

Sources cited a count two months ago that more than 260 of 876 sanctioned judgeships in India's 21 High Courts are vacant.

One of the highest vacancy rates is reported by the Allahabad High Court, where 86 out of 160 sanctioned posts remain unfilled, sources said.

The Chhattisgarh HC has 11 of 18 posts vacant, Jharkhand HC, 11 of 20 posts vacant, Andhra Pradesh HC, 20 of 49 posts vacant, Calcutta HC, 18 of 58 posts vacant, Punjab and Haryana HC, 26 of 68 posts vacant, and Patna HC, 16 of 43 posts vacant, sources said.

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