SC flags alarming pendency of over 8.82 lakh execution petitions across India

The Supreme Court has expressed deep concern over the massive backlog of execution petitions pending before courts across India, terming the situation “highly disappointing” and “alarming”.

- MPOST BUREAU

According to the apex court, as of now, 8,82,578 execution petitions remain unresolved nationwide, raising serious questions about the pace of justice delivery in civil cases.

Execution petitions are filed by decree holders seeking enforcement of court orders passed in civil disputes. The pendency figures were revealed during a compliance review of the Supreme Court’s March 6 order, which had directed all High Courts to ensure that subordinate civil courts dispose of execution petitions within six months.

A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Pankaj Mithal took stock of the implementation status and found the progress far below expectations. "The statistics which we have received are highly disappointing. The figures of the pendency of the execution petitions across the country are alarming," the Bench observed.

The court noted that from March 6 to October 16, only 3,38,685 petitions were disposed of. "As observed in our main judgment, after the decree is passed, if it is going to take years and years to execute the decree, then it makes no sense and would be nothing short of a travesty of justice," the October 16 order stated.