Four special benches of Supreme Court

Why in News?

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has constituted four specialized benches to exclusively hear and resolve the Supreme Court's oldest pending civil and criminal cases.

• Recognizing that legacy disputes are often sidelined by fresh filings, CJI Surya Kant has notified 4 division benches dedicated entirely to clearing the oldest cases on the court’s docket.
• The benches will hear these regular, long-pending matters uninterrupted on non-miscellaneous days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays).
• This frees them from the daily deluge of fresh "miscellaneous" filings heard on Mondays and Fridays.
• The Allocation
  • Civil Benches - Two benches, headed by Justice P K Mishra and Justice S V N Bhatti, will focus entirely on old civil disputes.
  • Criminal Benches - Two benches, led by Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, will be dedicated to legacy criminal cases.

• The "Pendency Paradox" - Over the last 5 years, the Supreme Court has recorded its best-ever case disposal figures, showing a highly active and productive bench.
• However, the overall pendency has continued to rise, recently crossing the 90,000 mark. This paradox is driven by:
  • Exponential Intake - Increased physical and digital accessibility (e-filings and virtual hearings) has driven up case filings, reaching an unprecedented 75,402 fresh filings in 2025 alone.
  • Outpaced Disposal - The rapid acceleration of incoming litigation has consistently outpaced the court’s enhanced capacity to dispose of cases.

Reference

The Indian Express | 4 new special benches of SC