Telugu states top South India in court case backlog

Time of India

12 hours ago

Hyderabad: The Telugu states have recorded the highest rise in pending cases among South Indian states in district and subordinate courts, with a worrying 38% spike in pendency between 2020 and 2025.
In Telangana, the number of pending cases grew from 6.91 lakh on Dec 31, 2020, to 9.54 lakh as of July 28, 2025. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh saw its backlog increase from 6.49 lakh to 8.99 lakh during the same period.
Legal experts say the reasons behind the surge are multifold, from habitual adjournments to unfilled judicial vacancies and poor witness turnout. 'The biggest problem in both states is that instead of aiming for closure, parties or their advocates keep seeking adjournments.
Even a simple case ends up dragging for years,' said Ch Sudheer Kumar, senior advocate from Hyderabad.
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He added, 'Police often file charge sheets but fail to appear in court, citing various reasons. The same goes for doctors and witnesses.'
Another major hurdle is the shortage of judges. 'Vacant posts are worsening the problem. In-charge judges, already overburdened, can only assign new hearing dates and rarely get to conduct actual proceedings,' Kumar pointed out.
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Renuka Yeradesi, another senior advocate, said litigants are also partly responsible. 'Clients often hide information, especially in family court matters. Once one side makes an allegation, the other comes up with a counter without revealing the full picture. This delays the trial process further,' she said.
According to figures presented in the Lok Sabha, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka reported relatively lower increases in pending cases, at 24.5% and 29.3%, respectively.
Kerala, notably, reduced its pendency by 16.47% over the same period.
Nationally, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana stand at eighth and ninth positions in terms of pendency growth. Though the absolute numbers are fewer, Manipur topped the list with a staggering 98% increase, followed by Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal.