Over half of judges posts in Calcutta High Court vacant

Kolkata: Calcutta High Court has 34 judges and the rest 38 posts out of the 72 sanctioned posts are vacant, West Bengal Law Minister Moloy Ghatak told the House on Tuesday. 

He was speaking about why a large number of cases are either pending at the court or are delayed.

Ghatak said as per rule one-third of the vacancies are filled up through promotion from the judicial service and the rest two-third through induction from the senior practising lawyers.

But nothing is being done so far to fill up a majority of vacant posts in the Calcutta High Court, where 19,802 cases in original side and 2,23,467 cases in appellate side are still pending, he said.

To expedite disposal of the pending cases vacancies in the posts of judges in Calcutta High Court should be filled up immediately, he said.

The minister another 21,96,272 cases are pending in the subordinate courts.

From April 1 to October 31 this year a total 10,62,472 cases - 1,34,670 civil and 9,27,802 criminal cases in all courts of the state were disposed, he added.