There are 143 vacancies
in 21 High Courts all over the country as against a total sanctioned
strength of 647 judges.
The highest number
of vacancies is in Allahabad High Court at 37 out of a total sanctioned
strength of 95 judges followed by the Madras High Court 11 vacancies
with sanctioned strength of 42 judges , Gujarat High Court 10
vacancies with a sanctioned strength of 42 judges, Punjab and
Haryana High Court 9 vacancies with a sanctioned strength of 40
judges, Calcutta High Court 8 vacancies with a sanctioned strength
of 50 judges, Bombay High Court, Rajasthan High Court and Patna
High Court each having 7 vacancies with sanctioned strength of
60 judges, 32 judges and 31 judges respectively, Guwahati High
Court 6 vacancies with a sanctioned strength of 19 judges, Delhi
High Court and Jammu & Kashmir High Court each having 5 vacancies
with a sanctioned strength of 33 judges and 14 judges respectively,
Madhya Pradesh High Court 4 vacancies with a sanctioned strength
of 29 judges, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chhattisgarh High Court,
Kerala High Court, Orissa High Court and Uttaranchal High Court
each having 3 vacancies and sanctioned strength of 39 judges,
6 judges, 29 judges, 16 judges and 7 judges respectively, Sikkim
High Court with 2 vacancies with a sanctioned strength of 3 judges
and Himachal Pradesh High Court 1 vacancy against sanctioned strength
of 8 judges.
The Supreme Court
of India has one vacancy against a sanctioned strength of 26 judges.
The Government
has been requesting the Chief Justices of the High Courts, Chief
Ministers and the Governors of the States, from time to time,
to initiate proposals for filling up of the present and the anticipated
vacancies during the next six months so that the successor judges
assume their office simultaneously with the retiring judges.
As at the end
of December, 2002 the Government has received recommendations
for filling up 70 vacancies in the High Courts.
