Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India, has constituted a ‘Judicial Infrastructure Advisory Committee’ to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening judicial infrastructure and developing what the Supreme Court described as a ‘unified infrastructure ecosystem’ for courts across India.
The move assumes significance at a time when concerns over growing slowdown, shortage of courtrooms, inadequate staffing, lack of basic facilities and uneven technological integration continue to dominate discussions on judicial reforms, even as budgetary allocations for judicial infrastructure have seen a decline in the Union Budget for 2026-27.
According to a press release issued by the Supreme Court, the committee was constituted “keeping in mind the diverse infrastructure requirements of various high courts and district courts”, with the aim of ensuring “a unified infrastructure ecosystem on a pan-India basis”.
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The committee was mandated to prepare a report on the infrastructural requirements of the Indian judiciary, with special emphasis on securing government support and adequate financial allocation to courts across the country. The report will be submitted to the CJI, who will then take up the matter with the Union and state governments.
Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar will chair the committee. Its members include Justice Dibangsu Basak (Judge Calcutta HC), Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra (Judge Punjab and Haryana HC), Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan (Judge Bombay HC 0), Director General of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), while Secretary General of the Supreme Court Bharat Parashar will serve as Member Secretary.
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The committee has been given a broad mandate that goes beyond physical infrastructure. It will identify constraints faced by stakeholders in the justice delivery system and recommend accommodations for judges, lawyers, litigants, court staff and visitors. It will also examine measures related to the computerization of courts and citizen-oriented services aimed at bridging the digital divide and improving the working conditions of judicial and administrative staff.
The committee was asked to submit an interim report by August 31, 2026.
This initiative comes amid growing concern within the judiciary regarding the mismatch between judicial workload and the financial support available to the courts.
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It has been allocated by the Ministry of Law and Justice $Rs 4,509.06 crore in Union Budget 2026-27 – approx. $400 crores less than the previous year’s allocation $4,998.24 Crores. The revised estimates for 2025-2026 are even higher at $5,189 Crores.
The allocation to the judiciary constitutes barely 0.08% of the total Union budget, while the Centre’s contribution to overall judicial expenditure remains limited to about 8%, leaving the states to bear approximately 90% to 92% of the burden.
It is worth noting that the allocations under the Central Care Plan to develop the judiciary’s infrastructure facilities have decreased to $810 Crores $998 crore in 2025-26, the lowest since 2022-23. Meanwhile, funding for the ambitious third phase of the e-Courts project has remained stagnant $1,200 Crores
