Chief Justice Surya Kant Creates Benches to Clear Oldest Cases

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant established four special benches on July 13, 2026, to fast-track the Supreme Court of India's oldest civil and criminal cases. The initiative targets approximately 800 long-pending matters, with roughly 200 cases assigned to each bench. This structured docket-management approach replaces ad hoc disposal drives to restore public confidence in the justice delivery system.

Two division benches led by Justices PK Mishra and SVN Bhatti will handle the oldest civil cases, while two benches led by Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan will address the oldest criminal cases. These benches will operate exclusively on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, which are designated as non-miscellaneous days to ensure uninterrupted judicial attention.

The move addresses a total backlog of 96,045 pending cases, including civil disputes dating back to 1986 and criminal matters from 1991. While recent years have seen record disposal figures, the overall pendency continues to rise because the volume of new cases—which reached 75,402 in 2025—outpaces the rate of disposal.