RAS question
Approximately how many cases are pending across Indian courts?
Correct answer: (C) Over 5 crore.
Over 5 crore cases are pending across Indian courts and tribunals, according to National Judicial Data Grid data cited by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Explanation
The figure is over 5 crore because the Ministry of Law and Justice told the Lok Sabha that National Judicial Data Grid data indicates more than 5 crore pending cases across different courts and tribunals in India. This is a system-wide backlog figure, not only the Union Government's own litigation. The Ministry separately listed 7,26,901 pending cases in which the Union of India is a party, based on LIMBS data updated by 53 Ministries and Departments. That distinction matters: the MCQ asks about all Indian courts, so the NJDG figure of over 5 crore is the relevant answer. Pre-litigation resolution efforts such as Nyaya Setu aim to reduce cases before they enter formal court pipelines.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Over 1 crore understates the backlog because National Judicial Data Grid data places pendency above 5 crore across courts and tribunals.
- (B) Over 3 crore is still below the Ministry's nationwide pendency figure of over 5 crore.
- (D) Over 10 crore is not supported because the Lok Sabha answer gives approximate nationwide pendency as over 5 crore.
Concept
This tests governance and judicial-reform awareness, especially court pendency and access-to-justice measures. It recurs in RAS because backlog, pre-litigation resolution, and institutional reform connect constitutional governance with everyday public administration.