Bengaluru: Supreme Court Justice Arvind Kumar Saturday questioned the Karnataka govt over its low spending on judicial infrastructure, saying allocations over the past three financial years were “peanuts” compared to court-generated revenue.Speaking at the 22nd Biennial State-Level Conference of Judicial Officers, Kumar directly addressed chief minister Siddaramaiah, who was present on stage, briefly switching from English to Kannada.“By way of fine, duty penalty, what the courts have collected for the last three years is Rs 376 crore, Rs 439 crore, and Rs 470 crore (respectively). Other than the salary, what has been given by the state govt is Rs 1.03 crore, Rs 40 lakh, and around Rs 1.3 lakh (in last 3 years). That means it’s peanuts,” he said.Justice Kumar urged the state to allocate at least 75% to 80% of court-collected revenue for judicial infrastructure.He also highlighted the rising burden on courts, noting that litigation increased from 17 lakh cases in 2023 to 22 lakh in 2025. The remarks were made in the presence of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.Cautioning against adopting centralised approaches, Kumar said: “Delhi is important but it is not the measure of India. What may appear efficient in Delhi may when mechanically transported elsewhere prove unsettling, alien, and even counterproductive….Karnataka does not need borrowed habits of authority.”Pointing to lack of adequate staff, he said that against a request for 666 posts for Karnataka HC’s three benches, only 230 were sanctioned. In the district judiciary, 680 requested posts were reduced to 400, he said.
