1 week ago
Delhi Prosecutors Stretched by Rising Cases and Court Transfers
Delhi’s public prosecutors are lawyers who represent the government in criminal cases.
There are not enough prosecutors for all the cases in the city’s courts.
Recent judge transfers and new special courts have given some prosecutors extra courtrooms to manage.
Some prosecutors must appear in several courts on the same day.
This means they may not have enough time to read files or prepare arguments.
When hearings happen at the same time, cases can be delayed.
Prosecutors say victims and witnesses are also affected by these delays.
They want vacant prosecutor jobs filled as the number of criminal cases continues to grow.
Delhi has 292 public prosecutors, with 29 affected by recent judicial transfers and new court assignments.
Prosecutors are handling more courts, with some assigned as many as five or eight when colleagues are absent.
Trial courts have filled only 16 of 32 prosecutor posts, 156 of 210 additional prosecutor posts, and 120 of 265 assistant prosecutor posts.
Pending criminal cases rose from 13 lakh in mid-2025 to 15 lakh in mid-2026, with about 20,000 cases listed daily.
Prosecutors say overlapping hearings and limited preparation time are causing adjournments and harming victims, witnesses and accused persons.
- Who
- Delhi’s 292 public prosecutors, including 29 affected by recent transfers and new court assignments.
- What
- Prosecutors are facing heavy workloads because of staff vacancies, rising criminal cases, judge transfers and new special-law courts.
- Where
- Delhi’s trial courts, particularly Rouse Avenue Court and Sessions Courts.
- When
- The judicial transfers occurred through a notification issued last month; the data cited is as of August 2026, with comparisons to mid-2025.
- Why
- There are substantial vacancies among prosecutor posts while pending cases and daily listings have increased.
Prosecutors’ concerns
Expanded court system’s demands
Workload and staffing
Prosecutors’ concerns
Prosecutors say rising case numbers and major vacancies make it difficult to manage multiple courts effectively and threaten the functioning of the system.
Expanded court system’s demands
The court changes have added judges and specialized courts to hear cases under laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, National Investigation Agency Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
Multiple simultaneous hearings
Prosecutors’ concerns
Prosecutors say conflicting hearings force them to rush between courtrooms, leave proceedings midway or seek adjournments, affecting the quality and pace of trials.
Expanded court system’s demands
Judges still require prosecutors to complete arguments and attend scheduled hearings, and prosecutors said they can face costs or complaints when they are late or absent.
Effect on cases and participants
Prosecutors’ concerns
Prosecutors say inadequate preparation can reduce the effectiveness of arguments and witness examination, prolong hearings and harm victims.
Expanded court system’s demands
The reported court assignments are intended to handle serious and specialized criminal cases, although the articles do not state that officials have offered a specific response to the staffing concerns.
Key facts
- Total public prosecutors
- 292 public prosecutors work in Delhi’s courts.
- Vacant sanctioned posts
- Of 32 public prosecutor posts, 210 additional prosecutor posts and 265 assistant prosecutor posts, 16, 156 and 120 were filled, respectively.
- Vacancy rates
- Vacancies stood at 50% for public prosecutors, 25% for additional public prosecutors and 54% for assistant public prosecutors.
- Pending cases
- Pending criminal cases increased from 13 lakh in mid-2025 to 15 lakh in mid-2026.
- Daily listings
- About 20,000 criminal cases are listed every day in Delhi’s trial courts.
- Rouse Avenue assignments
- Thirteen judges were posted to Rouse Avenue Court, including six Special NIA Judges who exclusively hear terror cases.
- Affected prosecutors
- A total of 29 public prosecutors were affected by the judge transfers and court changes.
Quotes
A public prosecutor at Rouse Avenue Court
A Delhi public prosecutor describing the daily workload.
“We can’t afford to skip any hearing as the judge will impose a cost on us. Lawyers for the accused persons start complaining if we’re late. On some days, I’m in 8 courts if other PPs are on leave. In neither of them, am I able to argue effectively. The accused persons are benefitting… while years of our hard work goes to waste.”
indianexpress.com
“Every day is so stressful. There are so many cases and it’s difficult to keep track.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
Related news
Lawyers Seek More Mumbai NDPS Courts Amid Massive Backlog
Delhi Prosecutors Challenge Government’s Mandatory Biometric Attendance Policy
More Supreme Court judges welcome, but wider reforms needed: experts
Parliament passes bill raising Supreme Court judge strength to 38
Delhi Police Transfers 26 Inspectors in Capital Reshuffle
Delhi court allows CBI to probe additional suspects in NEET-UG leak case
Delhi court rejects lie-detector plea in NEET-UG 2026 leak case
Brij Bhushan Acquitted, BJP Weighs Political Comeback Ahead of Elections
Delhi Court Acquits Former WFI Chief in Harassment Case
