Retired Judges to Head Evening Courts; Lawyers Want Filling Up Vacant Judge Posts
Union law and justice ministry has proposed setting up evening courts in Telangana to address the pendency at the district level.
Hyderabad: In a revolutionary move, the Union law and justice ministry has proposed setting up evening courts in Telangana to address the pendency at the district level. The proposal is awaiting approval from the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court. If approved, the evening courts will soon begin functioning in existing court premises across district courts.
The government has proposed setting up 785 evening courts across the country. These courts would operate from 5 pm to 9 pm on working days, using the infrastructure of regular courts. The evening courts are expected to handle minor criminal cases, summary trials, low-value property disputes, cheque bounce cases, and other petty offences that carry a maximum punishment of up to three years.
For the evening courts, the ministry plans to appoint district judges who have retired within the last three years on a three-year contract, paying them 50 per cent of their last drawn salary along with dearness allowance.
A senior judicial official, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed, “The Union ministry of law has sent a proposal for evening courts around two weeks ago, and it is currently under consideration by the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, Sujoy Paul. If approved, it could be implemented in district courts across the state.”
Evening courts were previously introduced in several states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, especially between 2006 and 2011 under the 13th Finance Commission. According to advocates, these courts showed positive results in clearing petty cases.
As per the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), there are 9,27,651 pending cases in the state, 3,29,097 civil and 5,98,554 of a criminal nature. Over 67 per cent of these cases have been pending for more than a year, with long-pending criminal cases alone standing at over four lakh.
High Court advocate Khaja Aijazuddin said that segregating petty offences into evening courts could reduce the burden on regular courts and provide learning opportunities for young lawyers. He also stressed the importance of proper coordination between the judiciary and the government for this system to work effectively.
Advocate Jayasheela supported the move despite concerns about increased workload. “Even if it becomes a bit burdensome, we need evening courts. Advocates themselves don’t want to drag cases for years,” she said, sharing how a case she took up in 2009 was finally resolved only in 2024.
Some advocates were sceptical. Senior High Court advocate G. Vidyasagar pointed out that several judicial posts remained vacant and that filling those positions with regular judges could be a more effective solution than starting new courts. “If we just ensure enough judges and staff in existing courts, pendency will automatically come down. There’s no need for courts to run day and night,” he said.
Another advocate, requesting anonymity, stated, “We don’t even have enough resources for current courts. What we need is better support for what already exists, not just more courts.”