With just over 9,000 cases registered last year, Bhutan’s judiciary saw a reduction in its overall caseload compared to more than 9,800 cases filed the year before. Despite the decline, the figures show that thousands of Bhutanese continue to turn to the judiciary to resolve disputes and seek justice.
The twenty District Courts saw 5,618 new cases last year.
The Thimphu District Court recorded the highest number of registered cases, dominated by commercial cases at 1,036. This was followed by civil cases at around 470, criminal cases at over 460, and family and child-related cases totalling a little over 430.
Similarly, regional centres such as Paro, Monggar, and Samtse emerged as key high-demand courts.
Last year, the fifteen Dungkhag Courts collectively received 6,770 miscellaneous matters, of which 1,740 cases were formally registered.
Among these courts, Phuentshogling Dungkhag Court recorded the highest volume, receiving 633 cases, followed by Gelephu Dungkhag Court with 516 cases.
At the higher judicial level, the High Court handled over 400 cases. These included more than 330 appeals from District Courts, close to 20 appeals from the Bhutan Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre, around 15 other cases, and nearly 40 cases carried forward from 2024.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, recorded a caseload of around 220 cases last year. Overall, pending cases increased slightly to around 1,200 last year, compared to over 1,180 cases in 2024.
Cases completed by the courts included both civil and criminal matters, ranging from civil liability disputes to sexual offences, drug-related crimes, and corruption cases.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Phub Gyem
