LUCKNOW, July 15 -- The Supreme Court's sharp observations over a criminal appeal remaining pending in the Allahabad high court for nearly 41 years have renewed focus on Uttar Pradesh's mounting judicial backlog, with official data showing the state accounts for a substantial share of pending cases in both the higher and subordinate judiciary.

The issue came to the fore during a hearing on June 8 when a Supreme Court bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and AS Chaudhary described as "disturbing" the delay in deciding the appeal of a murder convict whose case remained pending in the Allahabad high court for almost four decades. The bench sought suggestions on "innovative measures" to tackle growing pendency in the court.

The case conc...