Over 1,100 complaints against sitting judges in 2025

New Delhi: The Union government informed the Parliament on Friday that complaints against sitting judges of the higher judiciary have shown sharp fluctuations over the past decade, with a notable surge in recent years. Based on data from the Supreme Court of India, 729 complaints were lodged in 2016, decreasing slightly by 6.4 per cent to 682 in 2017, then rising by 5.1 per cent to 717 in 2018. The numbers then jumped by 44.6 per cent to 1,037 in 2019.

In 2020, complaints declined by 2.4 per cent to 1,012, followed by a steep 48.8 per cent plunge to 518 in 2021. The figures rebounded, climbing 32.4 per cent to 686 in 2022 and jumping 42.4 per cent to 977 in 2023. The upward trend continued into 2024 with a 19.8 per cent increase to 1,170 — the highest in a decade — before slipping slightly by 5.8 per cent to 1,102 in 2025.

Centre also emphasised that complaints against higher judiciary judges are handled through an established “in-house mechanism” developed by the judiciary itself, underscoring the judiciary’s constitutional independence.

Responding to a Starred Question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal explained that complaints against Supreme Court and High Court judges are handled internally by the judiciary in line with resolutions adopted by the Supreme Court of India on May 7, 1997.

He addressed questions asked by Matheswaran V S of Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi regarding the system for maintaining records of complaints related to corruption, sexual misconduct, or other serious violations by judges, along with the trend over the past decade and whether the government plans to introduce formal guidelines for systematic oversight.

In his answer, the minister also underlined that the government noted that in 1997, the Supreme Court adopted two key resolutions: “The Restatement of Values of Judicial Life,” setting conduct standards for judges, and an “In-house Procedure” to address lapses.

Under this procedure, the Chief Justice of India can receive complaints against Supreme Court judges and Chief Justices of High Courts, while High Court Chief Justices handle complaints against their judges. Complaints received through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) or other channels are directed to the appropriate authority—either the Chief Justice of India or the relevant High Court Chief Justice.

The government reaffirmed that managing such complaints remains within the judiciary’s domain, respecting the constitutional principle of judicial independence. It added that complaints received from the public via CPGRAMS or other channels are forwarded to judicial authorities for appropriate action, following the existing in-house procedures.

However, no additional statutory framework beyond these established mechanisms was mentioned, with the government stressing that the current in-house system effectively governs the receipt and handling of complaints against members of the higher judiciary.