New Delhi— The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the non-implementation of more than 8.82 lakh execution petitions filed in civil disputes across India. The apex court described the situation as “highly disappointing” and “alarming.”
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Pankaj Mithal was reviewing compliance with its March 6 directive, which instructed all high courts to ensure that civil courts decide execution petitions within six months. Execution petitions are filed by decree holders to enforce judgments in their favor.
The court observed that despite its earlier orders, delays remain prolonged, defeating the very purpose of civil decrees. In the past six months, 3,38,685 execution petitions have been disposed of, but 8,82,578 remain pending. The Supreme Court emphasised that presiding officers will be held accountable for undue delays.
The bench also singled out the Karnataka High Court for failing to provide the necessary data regarding pending and disposed execution petitions. The court has given the Registrar General two weeks to explain this lapse and directed that all high courts furnish complete data on execution petitions by April 10, 2026.
The issue was highlighted in a civil dispute dating back to 1980 over a land sale in Tamil Nadu. Despite multiple decrees and orders from lower and high courts between 1986 and 2008, the sale deed and possession of the property were still not executed. The Supreme Court termed the delay as an “egregious error” by the high court.
The apex court reiterated that high courts must issue administrative orders or circulars instructing their district judiciary to dispose of execution petitions within six months, warning that failure to comply would hold presiding officers accountable.
