India's Judge-to-Population Ratio: 22 Judges Per Million, Says Law Minister

• Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha that India currently has approximately 22 judges per million people.
• The Law Commission, in its 1987 report, had recommended a ratio of 50 judges per million population.
• The judge-to-population ratio calculation uses 2011 Census data and the sanctioned strength of judges across all court levels for 2026.
• As per the latest NCRB report for 2023, the number of undertrials in India stands at 389,910.
• Case disposal is solely within the judiciary's domain, with pendency attributed to factors like case complexity, evidence, stakeholder cooperation, and infrastructure.

Why It Matters: India's judge-to-population ratio is 22 per million, significantly below the 1987 recommendation of 50.