Nearly 500 cases pertaining to Constitution Bench pending in SC: Govt

Similarly, 2,209 writ petitions, 2,870 public interest litigations (PILs), 4,331 special leave petitions (SLPs) and 1,295 contempt of court cases were pending in the top court as on December 13.

New Delhi, Dec 16: Nearly 500 cases pertaining to the Constitution Bench, more than 400 related to elections and over 2,800 PILs are pending in the Supreme Court, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply, said as per the information obtained from the Supreme Court, 498 cases pertaining to Constitution Bench, 1,667 related to labour and 487 on elections were pending as on December 13 this year.

Similarly, 2,209 writ petitions, 2,870 public interest litigations (PILs), 4,331 special leave petitions (SLPs) and 1,295 contempt of court cases were pending in the top court as on December 13.

The disposal of pending cases in courts lies within the domain of the judiciary and the government has no direct role in this regard, Rijiju said.

Describing the delay in disposal of cases as a ''multi-faceted problem'', he said with an increase in the population of the country and awareness among the public about their rights, filing of fresh cases is also increasing by ''leaps and bounds, year after year''.

''Each case is distinct and variable in nature, therefore, no specific timelines can be determined concerning disposal of cases,'' he said.

Myriad factors come into play in deciding the disposal of cases in courts, which include availability of adequate number of judges and judicial officers, supporting court staff and physical infrastructure, complexity of facts involved, nature of evidence, cooperation of stakeholders -- the Bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants and proper application of rules and procedures, the minister said.

There are several factors which may lead to delay in disposal of cases. These include vacancies of judges, frequent adjournments and lack of adequate arrangement to monitor, track and bunch cases for hearing, he said.