Parliament Question: Judicial Infrastructure in Chandigarh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2187 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 31st JULY, 2026 JUDICIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN CHANDIGARH

2187. SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of judicial infrastructure in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and subordinate courts in Chandigarh, including court halls, judges' residences, lawyers' chambers and record rooms vis-à-vis sanctioned requirements;

(b) the details of court complexes, court halls, digital courtrooms, residential units and other judicial infrastructure projects sanctioned, under construction or completed in Chandigarh during the last five years;

(c) the details of funds allocated, sanctioned and released by the Government under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for the Judiciary to Chandigarh during the last five years, year-wise;

(d) whether any proposals have been received from the Punjab and Haryana High Court or the Chandigarh Administration for augmentation of judicial infrastructure, if so, the details and status thereof; and

(e) the steps taken to strengthen the judicial infrastructure, reduce pendency of cases and improve access to justice in Chandigarh? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a): The primary responsibility for development of infrastructure facilities for District and Subordinate Courts rests with the State Governments/UTs. However, to augment the resources of States/UTs, Central Government has been implementing since 1993-94 a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary in the District and Subordinate Courts. Under the CSS, financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs in the prescribed fund sharing pattern..The Scheme covers five components, namely, Court Halls, 1Residential Units for Judicial Officers, Lawyers’ Halls, Toilet Complexes and Digital Computer Rooms. High Courts are not covered under the ambit of the above Scheme.

As per information provided by the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, the numbers of available Court Halls, Lawyers’ Chambers and Residential Units vis-à-vis the Sanctioned Strength of judges as on 31.05.2026 is as under:

Court Sanctioned Strength of Court Halls Residential Lawyers’ Judges/Judicial Officers Units Chambers High Court 85 69 64 131 District Courts 30 31 29 440

(b): As per information provided by the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, 03 Residencial Units for Judges of High Court have been completed during last five years. No judicial infrastructure has been created in Chandigarh under the CSS for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary in the District and Subordinate Courts.

(c) to (e): No funds under the CSS were released to the UT of Chandigarh during last five years, as no demand/proposal was received from the UT of Chandigarh for augmentation of judicial infrastructure.

Disposal of cases pending in various courts lies within the domain of the judiciary. However, the Government is fully committed to speedy disposal of cases and reducing pendency. The Government has taken several initiatives to provide an ecosystem for faster disposal of cases by the judiciary which, inter-alia, includes amalgamation of latest technologies under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, better infrastructure for courts, policy and legislative measures in the areas prone to excessive litigation.

The Phase-III of the eCourts Project (2023-2027) was approved on 13.09.2023 with an outlay of Rs.7,210 crore. Phase III envisions a transition towards digital, paperless courts through large-scale digitisation of records, wider use of virtual hearings, interoperability across institutions and adoption of emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics and Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Under the eCourts Project, digital services such as e-Filing, e-Pay, e-Summons, Virtual Courts, Video Conferencing facilities in courts and the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) have been implemented. Also, one Fast Track Special Court for disposal of cases under POCSO Act and rape cases has been established in Chandigarh.

The High Court of Punjab & Haryana has established Arrears Committee to recommend strategies for faster case resolution. The High Court has set up Mediation and Conciliation Centres 2consisting of 193 Mediators and 5 Lok Adalats to help in out-of-court settlements. The High Court has also established a Front Office for providing assistance and free legal aid to needy people.

Dedicated Benches have been constituted which deal with business related cases exercising Original and Appellate jurisdiction for their swift disposal. Further, cases involving senior citizens, women, marginalized groups and criminal matters with accused in custody are given priority and older cases/other specific categories of urgent nature are set down for urgent hearing. An Online mechanism has been set up which allows counsels to submit infructuous cases for quicker disposal.

The High Court has issued Action Plan for achievement of case disposal targets in the District and Subordinate Courts between the period from 01.04.2026 to 31.03.2027. These steps aim to enhance the judicial efficiency and reduce backlog effectively.

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