8,360 Complaints Filed against Sitting Judges in 10 Years, Govt Tells Lok Sabha
Moneylife Digital Team 13 February 2026
The office of the chief justice of India (CJI) received 8,360 complaints against sitting judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts over the past 10 years, the Union ministry of law and justice informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
 
The disclosure was made in response to a starred question raised by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)'s member of Parliament (MP) Matheswaran VS in the Lok Sabha.
 
Mr Matheswaran had sought details of complaints regarding corruption, sexual misconduct or other serious impropriety received against judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court, along with year-wise data and information on action taken.
 
According to the written reply submitted by Arjun Ram Meghwal, the minister of state (independent charge) for law and justice, based on information received from the Supreme Court, a total of 8,360 complaints were received in the office of the chief justice between 2016 and 2025.
 
Between 2016 and 2025, the number of complaints received in the CJI office fluctuated year to year. In 2016, 729 complaints were received, followed by 682 in 2017 and 717 in 2018. The figure rose sharply in 2019 to 1,037 before dropping to 518 in 2020. Complaints increased again to 686 in 2021 and crossed the thousand mark in 2022 with 1,012 cases. In 2023, 977 complaints were recorded. The highest number in the decade was reported in 2024 at 1,170 complaints, while 2025 saw 1,102 complaints received.
 
While the data provides a numerical account of complaints received, the reply did not furnish details on the nature of the complaints or the action taken in each case.
 
In his question, Mr Matheswaran, the MP, had specifically asked about the action taken on these complaints. However, the ministry’s written response did not address this aspect.
 
The reply also did not clarify whether systematic records are maintained on the outcome of complaints or why such details were not provided, despite the existence of an in-house procedure for judicial accountability.
 
Responding to other parts of the question, the minister stated that the independence of the judiciary is enshrined in the Constitution of India and that complaints against judges are handled by the judiciary through an 'in-house mechanism'.
 
The reply noted that on 7 May 1997, the Supreme Court adopted two resolutions: 'The restatement of values of judicial life', which lays down standards and principles to be observed by judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, and an 'in-house procedure' for taking suitable remedial measures against judges who do not follow these standards, the reply states. 
 
As per the established in-house procedure, the chief justice is competent to receive complaints against judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of high courts. Similarly, chief justices of high courts are competent to receive complaints against judges of their respective high courts.
 
The ministry further stated that complaints received against members of the higher judiciary through the centralised public grievance redress and monitoring system (CPGRAMS) or in any other form are forwarded to the CJI or the concerned high court chief justice, who are competent to deal with such complaints.
 
The DMK MP had also asked whether the Union government proposes to issue guidelines or take steps to ensure systematic recording, monitoring and accountability of complaints against members of the higher judiciary in the public interest.
 
The written response did not indicate any such proposal.
 
It also did not mention any additional mechanism, apart from CPGRAMS, to collect complaints against judges and forward them to the Supreme Court or High Courts.
 
The data presented to Parliament provide insight into the volume of complaints received over the past decade. However, the absence of information on scrutiny, outcomes, or accountability mechanisms leaves open questions about how such complaints are processed and resolved under the existing in-house framework.
 
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