Over 46 lakh cases remain pending in courts

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Tuesday informed the Jatiya Sangsad that more than 46.39 lakh civil and criminal cases were pending in courts across the country, with lower courts accounting for the overwhelming majority of the backlog.

Replying to a question from opposition Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Golam Rasul (Jashore-4), the minister said 46,39,476 cases were awaiting disposal, comprising 18,13,263 civil cases and 28,26,213 criminal cases.

He said 63,309 cases were disposed of by the higher judiciary and 275,084 cases by the lower courts over the past year.

Providing a breakdown, Asaduzzaman said that as of March 31, 2026, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had 38,713 pending cases, including 21,652 civil and 17,061 criminal cases.

The High Court Division had 5,22,331 pending cases, comprising 1,01,168 civil and 4,21,163 criminal cases.

During 2025, the Appellate Division disposed of 7,553 cases, while the High Court Division settled 55,756 cases, he added.

The minister said lower courts continued to bear the largest burden, with 40,78,432 pending cases, including 16,90,443 civil and 23,87,989 criminal cases.

Over the past year, lower courts disposed of 2,75,084 cases, of which 49,073 were civil and 2,26,011 were criminal.

Replying to a separate question from Jamaat lawmaker Syed Joynul Abedin (Dhaka-4), the minister said the mandatory mediation programme, currently operating in 20 districts, had significantly improved dispute resolution and reduced the filing of regular cases by 62.83 per cent in those districts.

He said the government planned to gradually extend the mandatory mediation system to all districts, including Dhaka, following its success.

Responding to another question from ruling party lawmaker Shah Md Wares Ali Mamun (Jamalpur-5), Asaduzzaman said 3,625 money loan cases were pending in courts nationwide as of March 31, 2026.

In reply to a question from Jamaat lawmaker Mahfuza Hannan (Women Seat-41), he said the Appellate Division currently had five justices, including the Chief Justice, while the High Court Division had 101 justices.

He also informed the House that 1,964 judges were serving in the lower judiciary against 2,620 sanctioned posts.