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2026-07-25 23:15 UTC → 2026-07-27 11:44 UTC ·
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Delhi court jurisdiction reform meets reform, judge shortage shortage, lawyer probe
On 12 July 2026, a Full Court of the The Delhi High Court recommended expanding Court’s seven‑judge committee reiterated its July 12 recommendation to raise the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore. The Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations welcomed the proposal as a historic first step and signalled intentions to push for further increases, possibly to ₹20 crore or unlimited jurisdiction. Four days later, on 16 July 2026, the Delhi High Court Bar Association ended its strike after meetings with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya. While the bar reiterated opposition to the hike, the officials assured that its concerns would be taken into account. By 25 July 2026, the reform debate was compounded by a severe judge shortage. A seven‑judge committee reiterated the ₹10 crore jurisdiction recommendation, which would shift crore, moving civil suits up to ₹9.99 crore from the High Court’s Original Side to district lower courts. Simultaneously, Concurrently, the Delhi High Court court announced 27 vacancies in the Delhi Higher Judicial Service and scheduled a preliminary judicial exam for 26 July 2026. Hundreds July, prompting hundreds of district‑court judges took to take leave ahead of the exam, and leaving several courtrooms in the city largely empty. Recent Supreme Court rulings expanding promotion pathways have intensified deepened the staffing shortfall, raising concerns doubts about the trial courts’ ability capacity to maintain efficiency and deliver timely justice. On 27 July, the High Court directed the Bar Council of Delhi to probe alleged extortion by advocates Naresh Chauhan and his son Prashant, who were accused of using forged signatures to obtain demolition orders and then demanding money from property owners. The investigation was linked to a broader nexus involving other lawyers and an NGO founder. The same day, a six‑judge panel again endorsed the ₹10 crore limit, triggering a three‑day strike by the Bar Association that was lifted after intervention by the Union Law Minister and Chief Justice. Justice Prathiba M. Singh dissented, preferring a ₹5 crore increase and calling for additional reforms.