Delhi High Court: List Of Regular Matters Doesn't Reach Till End Of Day Of Hearing Due To Acute Shortage Of Judges

The Delhi High Court has flagged the "acute shortage of Judges" which it blamed for not being able to hear all cases listed in its cause list.

The Court was considering an application seeking permission to travel abroad when it made the observation.

The Bench of Justice Girish Kathpalia observed, "......On account of acute shortage of judges as compared to the general population and the litigation quantum, for past long time, the list of regular matters does not reach till end of the day of hearing. Rather, many a time even beyond 05:00 pm when the Courts rise for the day, some of the matters remain unheard, which is extremely painful for the judge...."

The Applicant was represented by Advocate Vikas Arora while the Respondent was represented by Advocate Ripudaman Bhardwaj.

It was contended by the Applicant that attending the said programme is vital for him from the angle of his social ties and business growth. The Application, however, was strongly opposed by the Respondent/ CBI solely on the ground that if allowed to leave the country, the Applicant/ Appellant would not return to face sentence, which was suspended by the predecessor bench while admitting this appeal.

The Court noted that for business trip, the Applicant/ Appellant was allowed to travel abroad, but such permission for leisure trip was declined by the predecessor bench.

It was of the view that, since on account of overflowing dockets, the Court is unable to decide the Appeals within a reasonable period of time, right to even leisure trips, to a certain extent, ought not be declined.

"The events like club assembly of Rotarians are more in the form of general get-togethers where social relations are developed and nurtured in addition to business relations. The present appeal was filed in the year 2019 and admitted by the predecessor bench, to be heard at its turn as a regular matter," the Court said.

Highlighting the acute shortage of Judges which is contributing towards pendency of regular matters, the Court stated that in such uncertain atmosphere, depriving the applicant/appellant free movement, even if to enjoy leisure trips, cannot be justified.

The Application was accordingly allowed.

Cause Title: Mukesh Gupta vs. Central Bureau of Investigation (2025: DHC: 2936)

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