TNI Bureau: More than 5.64 crore cases are pending in courts across India, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question raised by MP Dilip Kumar Ray.

According to the data placed before the House, as of July 16, 2026, there were 96,024 cases pending in the Supreme Court, over 64.72 lakh cases in High Courts, and 4.98 crore cases in district and subordinate courts across the country.

In Odisha, the Orissa High Court had 1,69,320 pending cases. Of these, 376 cases are over 30 years old, 7,035 are more than 20 years old, 38,866 are over 10 years old, and 69,684 have been pending for more than five years.

The Minister also informed that 18,68,323 cases are pending in Odisha’s district and subordinate courts. Among them, 4,441 cases are over 30 years old, 45,333 are more than 20 years old, 3,07,216 are over 10 years old, and 7,66,177 have been pending for over five years.

The reply further stated that out of the 96,024 pending Supreme Court cases, 24,611 are more than five years old, 10,094 are over 10 years old, 558 are more than 20 years old, and 26 cases have remained pending for over 30 years.

Among the High Courts, the Allahabad High Court has the highest pendency with 12,28,353 cases, followed by the Rajasthan High Court (6,96,348), Bombay High Court (6,57,813), Madras High Court (5,67,814) and Madhya Pradesh High Court (4,90,363).

The Minister said the disposal of cases falls under the judiciary, but the Centre has taken several measures to reduce pendency. These include the e-Courts Phase III project with an outlay of ₹7,210 crore, establishment of Fast Track Special Courts, monitoring committees for old cases, and promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms and Lok Adalats to ensure quicker justice.