Orissa High Court Faces 60% Judge Shortage as BJD MP Urges Immediate Action
Bhubaneswar: Concern over the mounting judicial backlog and declining judicial strength at the Orissa High Court has intensified after Dr Sasmit Patra, Rajya Sabha MP from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), wrote to Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, seeking immediate steps to fill vacant judges’ posts.
In his letter, Dr Patra highlighted that the High Court is facing an unprecedented shortage of judges.
Following the retirement of Chief Justice Harish Tandon, the court’s effective strength is expected to drop to just 13 judges against a sanctioned strength of 33.
This would leave 20 positions vacant, pushing the vacancy rate to approximately 60.6 per cent.
The BJD MP noted that the situation is significantly worse than the national average vacancy rate across High Courts and could adversely affect the timely delivery of justice in Odisha.
Dr Patra also pointed to the growing burden of pending litigation.
According to official data cited in the letter, the Orissa High Court currently has 170,346 pending cases, including 38,936 matters that have remained unresolved for more than a decade.
Emphasising the urgent need for judicial appointments, he urged the Union Law Ministry to coordinate with the concerned constitutional authorities and ensure that vacancies are filled through a time-bound and streamlined process.
The issue has sparked concern among legal observers and stakeholders, who believe that adequate judicial strength is essential to reducing case pendency and ensuring timely access to justice for citizens across Odisha.
