Guwahati: Assam has 5,75,541 pending cases across its courts, while 40 judicial posts remain vacant, the state government informed the Assembly on Tuesday.
Replying to an unstarred question by MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Law and Justice Minister Sushanta Borgohain said the state has 486 sanctioned judicial posts, of which 446 are filled and 40 remain vacant. He said the process to fill the remaining vacancies is underway, adding that some courts continue to remain non-functional due to inadequate infrastructure.
According to data tabled in the House, as of May 31, 2026, Assam’s courts had 5,75,541 pending cases, comprising 1,14,296 civil cases and 4,61,245 criminal cases.
The minister also presented data on case disposal by subordinate courts over the past five years. In 2021, the courts disposed of 35,536 civil cases and 1,46,810 criminal cases. The figures increased to 45,184 civil cases and 2,26,175 criminal cases in 2022, followed by 45,555 civil cases and 3,27,728 criminal cases in 2023. In 2024, subordinate courts disposed of 50,483 civil cases and 2,33,399 criminal cases, while in 2025 they disposed of 53,348 civil cases and 1,95,636 criminal cases.
The Assembly was informed that Assam currently has 40 Fast Track Courts and six Special Courts in operation, while no Commercial Courts have been established in the state.
The government said several initiatives have been implemented to expedite cases involving women and children, including the 181 Women Helpline, Sakhi One Stop Centres, POCSO Courts, Child-Friendly Police Centres, the Shishu Mitra Helpline and the e-Courts Project, which has been rolled out across all courts in the state.
Borgohain also said Lok Adalats disposed of 5,71,226 cases during the last five years as part of efforts to reduce judicial pendency.
The House was further informed that, as of July 13, 2026, Assam had 7,904 undertrial prisoners, including 1,049 who have remained under trial for prolonged periods.