Kohima: Nagaland's district judiciary is grappling with a persistent rise in pending litigation. According to data from the Gauhati High Court's Kohima Bench, the total number of cases waiting for resolution reached 4,655 by the end of May. This figure marks the third consecutive month of growth, climbing steadily from 4,589 cases in March and 4,628 in April.
Despite the courts managing to dispose of 506 cases throughout May, the intake of 537 new filings ensured the backlog continued its upward trend. Dimapur remains the primary hub for this judicial strain, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the state total with 2,970 pending cases. Among these, the Principal District and Sessions Judge Court in Dimapur holds the highest individual burden with 830 pending matters.
Performance across the state varies significantly. While the Principal District and Sessions Judge and Chief Judicial Magistrate courts in Kohima successfully cleared more cases than they received during May, other areas struggled to maintain momentum. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Mokokchung reported zero activity for the month, recording neither new filings nor disposals.
This ongoing accumulation follows a broader pattern noted in the Department of Law and Justice's Annual Administrative Report. The report indicated that pending cases in subordinate courts grew by 11.6 percent throughout 2025. With the first five months of 2026 already accounting for a substantial portion of the previous year's total increase, the judiciary faces mounting pressure to enhance its output. As the data shows, "the district judiciary has yet to consistently dispose of more cases than it receives, allowing the backlog to inch upward month after month."
While the district courts face these challenges, the Gauhati High Court's Kohima Bench has seen a different trajectory. It successfully reduced its own backlog by 6.5 percent during 2025, bringing the number of pending cases down from 883 to 826.
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