Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has informed the Lok Sabha that the Supreme Court has decided a total of 2,183 Constitution bench cases since it came into existence in January 1950.
Responding to a question by Member of Parliament from Kerala’s Alappuzha, A.M. Ariff, Meghwal said the period between 1960 and 1969 witnessed the highest number of Constitution Bench cases being decided and disposed of, which was 956.
He further said that the period between 2000 to 2009 saw the lowest number of disposals, with only 138 cases being decided.
Regarding the recent years between 2020 and 2023, the Apex Court has decided 19 cases so far, added the Minister.
As per Meghwal, 29 Constitution Bench matters were pending before the Supreme Court as on July 20, 2023.
Of these, 18 were pending before a five-judge Bench, six were before a seven-judge Bench and five were before a nine-judge Bench.
He said the case of Abhiram Singh vs. CS Commachen (Dead) by LRs and Ors has become the oldest Constitutional Bench case, which has remained pending for the past 31 years.
Relating to the election of Santacruz Legislative Assembly Seat held in 1990 for the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the case was registered in 1992, added Meghwal.
However, the statistics as quoted by the Law Minister in Parliament diverge from the details provided on the Supreme Court website.
The CPIM MP further asked whether the reason for pendency of such cases was the lack of interest in expediting it.
Meghwal replied that it cannot be said that the reason for pendency of the Constitution Bench cases was the lack of interest in expediting the same.
He said it was not possible to set out ‘strict’ parameters and timelines regarding adjudication of such cases, adding that such issues required deep analysis and thorough examination of law.