Retaining experience on the Bench
The Supreme Court of India is pushing for a uniform retirement age of 62 for district judges to address a massive backlog of cases and a shortage of judicial officers. Many state governments are resisting the change due to budgetary concerns, despite support from High Courts.
Why it matters
The judicial backlog in India is a critical issue affecting the rule of law and the timely delivery of justice to millions of citizens.
The story so far: The Supreme Court is aggressively pushing for a nation-wide uniform enhancement of the retirement age from 60 to 62 years in the district judiciary to arrest the attrition of experience and talent on the Bench. There is a yawning gap as vacancies in the district judiciary continue to burgeon while pendency has reached 5.18 crore, denying ordinary citizens the basic right to timely justice. Union government figures of February 2026 show that compared to the sanctioned strength of 25,894 judicial officers, the working strength is only 21,027. At present, the Judge-to-population ratio in the country works out to be approximately 22 judges per million population. The judiciary’s greatest strength, which is public faith, is fast-depleting.
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