Srinagar, Aug 02: The Government of India (GoI) on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that 60 judge positions are vacant across courts in Jammu & Kashmir as of July 2025.According to the written reply by Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, accessed, 10 out of 25 sanctioned posts in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are vacant, while 15 judges are currently serving as of July 25, 2025.
In the District and Subordinate Courts of Jammu & Kashmir, there are 50 vacancies. Out of 322 sanctioned posts, 272 judicial officers are in place, as per data from the Department of Justice’s MIS portal on July 28, 2025.
At the national level, the government said that between May 1, 2014, and July 21, 2025, a total of 70 judges were appointed to the Supreme Court, and 1058 new judges were appointed to the High Courts, with 794 additional judges made permanent. The sanctioned strength of High Court judges rose from 906 in 2014 to 1122 by July 2025.
The Centre also clarified that appointing judicial officers in District and Subordinate Courts is the responsibility of the State governments and respective High Courts, under Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution.
The government added that the Supreme Court’s 2007 order in the Malik Mazhar Sultan case prescribes timelines that States and High Courts are required to follow for the timely recruitment of judicial officers.
