3,500 PILs pending in SC, the oldest for 42 yrs: Law ministry

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, primarily responsible for constitutional interpretation and matters of urgent criminal appeals, is burdened with more than 3,500 public interest litigations (PILs), 698 of them pending for over 10 years. The oldest one has not been adjudicated for 42 years. Most of these PILs are related to environmental, land laws and agricultural tenancy matters, according to information shared by the law ministry.

The highest number of PILs — 570 — were admitted by the constitutional court in 2025, further clogging the SC’s docket of over 80,000 cases. In the last five years SC has managed to dispose of 1,872 PILs, but not enough to clear the backlog.

Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed Lok Sabha last week that the total number of PILs pending before SC as on March 10 are 3,525. The average time taken for disposal of PILs is not known. Meghwal said the highest number of pending PILs filed since 2014 include 570 filed in 2025, followed by 347 filed in 2019, 306 in 2020 and 293 in 2026 among others.

The oldest PIL pending in the apex court for adjudication was filed in 1984, two others pending since 1985 — all three are M C Mehta Vs Union of India, two related to environmental laws and one of housing and building municipal laws.

Two PILs of contempt of court-related subject — Mohd Hashim (deceased) in Iqbal Ansar Vs Sri Kalyan Singh, and Aslam @Bhure Vs S B Chowhan — are pending since 1995 and 1996, respectively.

Many of those who filed these PILs have passed away even as their matters remain pending adjudication.

For instance in the case of Mohd Hashim as mentioned above and in the case of Haradhan Roy (deceased) Vs Union of India, a PIL of 1997; and one PIL of 2005 of O Fernandes (deceased) Vs Union of India; and a 2010 PIL of Shiv Sena Party Vs B G Deshmukh (deceasad).
Applicants include Archaeological Society of India, range forest officer of Bilagi in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district; Bihar Police Association; Subramanian Swamy Vs Union of India; State of Madhya Pradesh Vs Medha Patkar; pharmaceutical companies, builders and hoteliers.

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