Justice Ujjal Bhuyan calls for courts to clear frivolous criminal cases

ElevenAM Desk | Itanagar | 19 September 2026 | 5:30 AM IST

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has called attention to the growing burden of minor and frivolous criminal cases on India’s courts, arguing that trial courts need a focused mechanism to clear matters that do not warrant prolonged criminal litigation.

Speaking at an event on ethics in criminal litigation in New Delhi, Justice Bhuyan referred to cases arising from food choices, artistic performances, slogans and social-media comments as examples of disputes that can consume judicial time out of proportion to their seriousness.

He suggested that a one-time amnesty for non-serious criminal cases could help courts concentrate on grave offences. He also raised concerns about custodial violence and stressed the importance of professional, independent conduct by police and public prosecutors.

The intervention comes against the backdrop of a large criminal-case backlog, much of it concentrated in trial courts. Justice Bhuyan’s remarks place case prioritisation and prosecutorial discretion at the centre of the debate over judicial efficiency.