Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 7 July informed the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that only 58 of the 138 sanctioned fast-track courts in the state are currently operational. The government, he said, is in continuous dialogue with the Bombay High Court to secure judges for the remaining 80 courts — a process that lies entirely within the judiciary's domain.

Why So Many Courts Remain Non-Functional

Responding to a question raised by MLA Rahul Kul, Fadnavis explained that the appointment of judges is exclusively the High Court's prerogative, leaving the state government with limited leverage. Over the past year, the government has sent repeated written requests and held joint meetings with the Chief Justice to press for faster appointments.

The Bombay High Court has reportedly conveyed that recruitment and promotion processes for new judges are in their final stages. Once concluded, judges will be assigned to all sanctioned fast-track courts across Maharashtra.

Interim Arrangement: 'Designated' Court Status

Until full judicial strength is achieved, some courts have been granted 'designated' status for specific categories of cases. However, these courts are simultaneously required to handle regular civil and criminal matters, diluting their intended fast-track purpose.

Speaker Flags Vacancies, Delays in Justice

Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar intervened sharply, noting that large-scale vacancies in the lower judiciary are causing severe delays in the delivery of justice. He specifically highlighted the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court in Pune and several other courts where criminal cases have been pending for years, inflicting hardship on ordinary citizens.

The Speaker directed that vacant judgeships be filled immediately and that the expediting process be coordinated directly with the Chief Justice — an unusual floor-level intervention that underscores the urgency of the crisis.

Judicial Infrastructure and Expansion

Fadnavis also addressed broader judicial infrastructure, noting that sessions courts and additional district courts across Maharashtra have undergone significant expansion over the last 10 to 12 years. The requirement for new courts is assessed by a High Court committee based on pending caseload volumes.

He assured that demands for additional courts from Pune or elsewhere would be verified against actual caseload data before new courts are approved. The government, he said, is providing necessary funds and facilities to build judicial infrastructure wherever needed.

Government's Next Steps

Responding to the Speaker's directives, Fadnavis assured that judicial vacancies would be placed on the agenda for the next meeting with the Chief Justice and treated as a priority item. He reiterated that the government would proactively flag districts with acute judge shortages to the High Court to accelerate the recruitment pipeline.

With the High Court's recruitment process reportedly in its final stages, the pace of judicial appointments in the coming months will determine whether Maharashtra's fast-track court network can finally operate at its sanctioned strength.