Pendency Has Increased at Admission Stage, Reduced at Regular Stage

The second wave of the pandemic has shaped the pendency of cases at the Supreme Court. Two aspects of the Court’s functioning that were affected by the pandemic have had an impact on pendency as well. First, the Court did not sit physically. Second, a new ‘e-filing’ system was introduced at the Court that made it easier for persons to file cases.

Prior to the second wave, the Court was opening gradually and hearing cases both in person and virtually. However, the second wave forced the SC to revert to virtual hearing for urgent cases. Previously, we looked at how pendency has increased rapidly in the first half of 2021.

In this post, we look at the stage at which cases have remained pending.

Pendency is measured at two stages. The ‘admission stage’ is where the Court considers whether a certain petition should be heard on merits. It can be disposed of at this stage if various procedural requirements are not met. If admitted, oral hearings are conducted in the ‘regular stage’.

Over the first half of the year, pendency at the admission stage increased by 10.06%, whereas in the regular stage, it fell by 2.55%. This indicates that pendency has built up in the preliminary stage of the hearings, as the Court has been unable to complete admission hearings in line with filing rates.