Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has introduced a structured docket-management initiative to expedite the resolution of the Supreme Court's oldest civil and criminal cases.The move, implemented on July 13, 2026, involves four dedicated benches that will exclusively handle approximately 800 long-pending matters.These benches, comprising two civil and two criminal divisions, will operate on non-miscellaneous days to focus solely on legacy litigation.

The initiative aims to institutionalize the systematic disposal of old cases, which have often languished due to changing judicial rosters and competing urgent matters.

CJI Kant emphasized that the judiciary's primary obligation is to deliver justice within a timeframe that maintains public trust in the legal system.The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) reports that the Supreme Court currently has 95,911 pending cases, with 37,826 of them being over a year old.The new system allows these benches to devote three working days weekly to legacy matters, free from the regular burden of miscellaneous hearings.

This reform aligns with CJI Kant's broader administrative focus on improving judicial efficiency through targeted docket management rather than relying solely on judicial strength.

The initiative also complements his advocacy for alternative dispute resolution methods like arbitration and mediation to address the national backlog of over 50 million cases.