Drastic increase in pendency of cases in Supreme Court: Annual Report
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ISLAMABAD: The pendency of cases in Supreme Court is increasing day by day as 38,913 cases remain pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan till April 30. This rapid increase in the number of pending cases is the biggest challenge faced by the top court which is already criticised for being more interested in dealing with political matters.
The rate of pendency has risen almost 100% during the last five to seven years. In 2001, the number of cases in the SC backlog was recorded at 13,070 which have since multiplied several times, reaching its current figure.
Moreover, historical trends suggest that the number has increased each year since 2001 as 17,370 cases were pending in 2002. From 2003 to 2016, ratio of pendency was recorded as 20,031, 27,614, 14,984, 13,724, 15,186, 17,754, 18,359, 20,234, 20,228, 20,314, 20,480, 22,979, 27,639 and 32,744. It is pertinent to mention here that there was a noticeable increase in pendency in 2016 as compared to the previous trends.
Recently, the Supreme Court released its annual report 2016-17, wherein it is stated that the trend of increase in the institution of cases and consequential piling up of backlogs continued. The report says that the huge pendency coupled with a high rate of institution did not escape the attention of the chief justice and the judges and the matter was deliberated in full court meetings from time to time.
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The factors leading to the higher institution as well as causes of delays in the disposal of cases were considered in depth. It was observed that the rise in the institution of cases was mainly on account of higher rate of disposal of cases in the high courts. Thus, it was resolved that strategies would be evolved to deal with the heavy backlogs.
