The Supreme Court of India has constituted a Standing Committee on Judicial Well-being to address occupational stress, heavy workloads and mental-health concerns among judicial officers across the country.
Constituted on World Mental Health Day
The committee was constituted by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on October 10, 2026, World Mental Health Day. Supreme Court judge Justice K V Viswanathan will chair the panel.
Its members are Savita Malhotra, former Dean of PGIMER Chandigarh; psychologist Rajat Mitra; Advocate-on-Record Mrinal Kanwar; and Supreme Court Registrar Aarti Singh.
Mandate
The panel has been tasked with examining prolonged working hours, staffing shortages, administrative pressures and work-life balance among judicial officers, and with recommending institutional measures to improve their well-being.
The move follows research carried out by the Supreme Court's Centre for Research and Planning into the working conditions and well-being of district judiciary officers, which brought the strain on trial-court judges into sharper focus.
Why it matters
Judicial officers, particularly in the district judiciary, handle some of the heaviest caseloads in the Indian justice system. Long hours, pendency pressure and limited support staff have long been cited as structural stresses on judges at the trial level. A standing committee devoted to their well-being marks a formal institutional acknowledgement that the health of judges is tied to the health of the justice-delivery system itself.
The panel is expected to consult experts and stakeholders before framing its recommendations.
Sources:
- ANI: Supreme Court sets up panel on judicial well-being, Justice KV Viswanathan to head (Lokmat Times)
- Supreme Court news: Oct 10 (Indian Express)
Constituted on World Mental Health Day
The committee was constituted by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on October 10, 2026, World Mental Health Day. Supreme Court judge Justice K V Viswanathan will chair the panel.
Its members are Savita Malhotra, former Dean of PGIMER Chandigarh; psychologist Rajat Mitra; Advocate-on-Record Mrinal Kanwar; and Supreme Court Registrar Aarti Singh.
Mandate
The panel has been tasked with examining prolonged working hours, staffing shortages, administrative pressures and work-life balance among judicial officers, and with recommending institutional measures to improve their well-being.
The move follows research carried out by the Supreme Court's Centre for Research and Planning into the working conditions and well-being of district judiciary officers, which brought the strain on trial-court judges into sharper focus.
Why it matters
Judicial officers, particularly in the district judiciary, handle some of the heaviest caseloads in the Indian justice system. Long hours, pendency pressure and limited support staff have long been cited as structural stresses on judges at the trial level. A standing committee devoted to their well-being marks a formal institutional acknowledgement that the health of judges is tied to the health of the justice-delivery system itself.
The panel is expected to consult experts and stakeholders before framing its recommendations.
Sources:
- ANI: Supreme Court sets up panel on judicial well-being, Justice KV Viswanathan to head (Lokmat Times)
- Supreme Court news: Oct 10 (Indian Express)
