New Delhi/Kataka: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra Saturday urged Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to take urgent steps to fill nearly 61 per cent of judicial vacancies in the Orissa High Court, cautioning that the shortage of judges would have an impact on mounting cases.
In a letter to Meghwal, Patra pointed out that following the retirement of Chief Justice Harish Tandon November 15, the high court’s working strength would decline to 13 judges against a sanctioned strength of 33, leaving 20 vacancies (60.6 per cent).
He noted that the vacancy rate in the high court was significantly higher than the national average of around 26 per cent.
The Rajya Sabha member also highlighted that the court’s working strength had fallen from 20 judges in December 2025 to 13, despite the induction of judges through transfers during 2025, owing to subsequent retirements and transfers. Highlighting the mounting judicial backlog, he said the high court had 1,70,346 pending cases, including 38,936 cases pending for more than a decade, according to the Union government’s reply to a Lok Sabha question August 7.
He urged the law minister to facilitate fresh judicial appointments in consultation with the appropriate constitutional authorities through a coordinated and time-bound approach.
