Himachal Pradesh High Court has achieved a significant milestone in 2025 by disposing of approximately 90 percent of the cases filed during the year, despite having five judges less than the sanctioned strength. This success has been made possible through reforms focused on speedy justice, prioritization of sensitive groups, and resolution of old cases.
According to data, 93,942 cases were pending in the court on January 1, 2025. During the entire year, 81,092 new cases were filed, of which the court disposed of 72,981 cases. By the end of the year, the total pending cases stood at 102,053. This achievement was accomplished through the efforts of merely 12 judges including the Chief Justice.
Under the leadership of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, the court prioritized cases related to convicted prisoners in jail, sexual harassment, crimes against women, juveniles, and senior citizens. To eliminate cases pending for years, the High Court has formulated a concrete plan called ‘Special Saturday’. Under this, 12 Saturdays in 2026 have been declared as working days, during which only the oldest cases will be heard.
Himachal’s district courts performed even better than the High Court by achieving a disposal rate of 106.23 percent. To strengthen the judicial system, several vacant posts of district and civil judges were filled by December 31, 2025. Additionally, 4 posts of Additional District and Sessions Judge and 5 posts of Civil Judge were created. Three new Additional District and Sessions Courts were started in Nurpur, Amb, and Bilaspur.
The High Court has urged the state government to open 3 more Additional District and Sessions Courts and 34 Civil Judge courts soon.
