Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Justice Bhuyan Criticises Frivolous Cases, Custodial Violence and Pressure
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said too many criminal cases are being filed over ordinary speech, food, performances, protests, and creative work.
He called many of these accusations unreasonable.
He said these cases make it harder for courts to deal with serious crimes.
More than 4.27 crore criminal cases were pending in India as of September 17.
Most of the pending cases were in trial courts.
He suggested clearing minor cases through a special effort and possibly granting a one-time amnesty.
He also warned about violence in police custody and killings carried out outside normal legal procedures.
He said prosecutors and defence lawyers must act fairly and honestly so people can trust court decisions.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan criticised criminal cases filed over food choices, poems, slogans, protests, social-media comments, comedy, and films or books.
He said more than 4.27 crore criminal cases were pending across Indian courts as of September 17, with trial courts holding 95% of the backlog.
Bhuyan proposed a special drive to clear frivolous litigation and a one-time amnesty for non-serious criminal cases.
He expressed concern about custodial violence and alleged extrajudicial killings, calling them failures of policing and investigation.
He said prosecutors must independently assess cases and that public confidence depends on fair convictions and honest acquittals.
- Who
- Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, along with Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Amit Sharma, spoke at the event.
- What
- Bhuyan criticised frivolous criminal cases, warned about custodial violence and alleged extrajudicial killings, and called for fair prosecution.
- When
- The remarks were made on Friday; the article gives September 17 as the date for the cited case-pendency figures.
- Where
- The event was held at the India International Centre in New Delhi.
- Why
- He said frivolous cases are worsening the criminal courts’ backlog and that fair legal processes are necessary for public confidence.
- Speaker
- Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
- Event theme
- Ethics in Criminal Litigation — Duties of Defence & The Prosecution
- Pending criminal cases
- More than 4.27 crore across Indian courts as of September 17
- Trial-court share
- 95% of the reported criminal-case backlog
- Proposed measure
- A special drive and one-time amnesty for non-serious criminal cases
- Other judicial speakers
- Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Amit Sharma
- Cited legal intervention
- D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal, 1997