Data · Court Statistics
Institution vs Disposal of Cases in India (2026)
Pendency is a stock, but it is driven by two flows: institution and disposal. Institution is the number of new cases filed in a period. Disposal is the number closed in the same period. When institution runs ahead of disposal, the pending pile grows; when disposal pulls ahead, it shrinks. This page explains both flows, shows how their gap moves pendency, gives the honest national trend, and shows how to read both on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). Last verified October 2026.
- Institution: new cases filed in a period (inflow).
- Disposal: cases closed in a period, by judgment, settlement, withdrawal or transfer (outflow).
- The rule: change in pendency = institution minus disposal.
- National trend: institution exceeded disposal in most years 2018 to 2025 (DataForIndia analysis of NJDG), so pendency kept rising.
- Read it: compare the institution and disposal panels on njdg.ecourts.gov.in and note the date.
01The two flows
Think of a court as a tank with water flowing in and draining out.
- Institution (inflow): every new case filed, whether a fresh suit, complaint, petition or appeal, in a given month or year.
- Disposal (outflow): every case closed in the same period. Importantly, disposal is not only judgments on merits. It includes settlements, withdrawals, dismissals and transfers. See pending, disposed and withdrawn cases.
The water already in the tank is pendency, the stock explained in pendency of cases in India. Institution and disposal are the flows that raise or lower it.
02The gap drives pendency
The change in pendency over a period is simply institution minus disposal.
| If... | Then pendency... | And the clearance rate is... |
|---|---|---|
| Institution is greater than disposal | rises | below 100% |
| Institution equals disposal | holds steady | exactly 100% |
| Disposal is greater than institution | falls | above 100% |
This is why a court disposing of record numbers of cases can still see pendency climb: if filings are higher still, the net flow adds to the pile. The ratio of disposal to institution is the clearance rate, explained in the case disposal rate.
Change in pendency = institution minus disposal. The backlog only falls when disposal overtakes new filings.
03What the national trend shows
We are not quoting precise national institution and disposal counts here, because they move month to month and a made-up figure would mislead. What the public data does support is the direction.
Independent analysis of NJDG data (DataForIndia) notes that from 2018 to 2025, new cases filed each year exceeded cases disposed of in most years. That net inflow is why national pendency, now roughly 5.41 crore across all tiers as on 31 December 2025, has kept rising. For the current position, read the live institution and disposal panels on the NJDG for the court you care about.
04How to read both on the NJDG
The NJDG publishes institution and disposal side by side, so you can see the gap directly:
- Open njdg.ecourts.gov.in and choose the tier (Supreme Court, High Court or district) and the court or state.
- Open the institution and disposal panels for a chosen period (monthly or yearly).
- Compare the two. If institution is higher, the backlog grew in that period; if disposal is higher, it shrank.
- Record both figures, the period and the date read.
For the mechanics, see how to use the NJDG and what the NJDG is.
05Common misreadings
- Reading disposal as success. High disposal can reflect settlements and withdrawals, not only decided-on-merits judgments.
- Ignoring the inflow. Praising a court’s disposal without checking institution misses whether it is actually keeping pace.
- Using one month as a trend. Both flows swing seasonally; look across several periods.
- Dropping the date. As always, carry the period and the date with any figure. See how to read court pendency statistics.
06Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Institution and disposal statistics come only from the official source, the NJDG, and analyses built on it. Claw does not publish these flows. Its job begins with a specific matter: it lets you search and track a case across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, sitting on 30 crore or more judgments with results in under 5 seconds, and it sends hearing and order alerts so you know when your own case moves from pending to disposed, whatever the court’s overall inflow and outflow.
Create a free Claw account and run a case search across Indian courts.
07Sources
- National Judicial Data Grid (institution and disposal panels): njdg.ecourts.gov.in
- DataForIndia, judicial pendency analysis of NJDG data: dataforindia.com
- Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice: doj.gov.in
Read dated institution and disposal figures from the live NJDG for the court and period you need.
08Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between institution and disposal of cases?
Institution is the number of new cases filed in a period (the inflow). Disposal is the number of cases closed in the same period (the outflow), including judgments, settlements, withdrawals and transfers. The gap between them changes the pending stock.
How do institution and disposal affect pendency?
Change in pendency equals institution minus disposal. If more cases are filed than closed, pendency rises and the clearance rate is below 100%. If more are closed than filed, pendency falls. This is why a court can dispose of many cases and still see its backlog grow if filings are higher.
Has disposal kept pace with institution in India?
Mostly not. Analysis of NJDG data (DataForIndia) indicates that from 2018 to 2025 new filings exceeded disposals in most years, which is why national pendency has kept rising to roughly 5.41 crore across all tiers as on 31 December 2025. For a current period, read the live NJDG panels.
Where can I see institution and disposal figures?
On the National Judicial Data Grid at njdg.ecourts.gov.in. Choose the tier and court, open the institution and disposal panels for a period, and compare them. Record both figures, the period and the date read, because the data refreshes close to daily.