Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has renewed her appeal for an increase in the number of judges at the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice underscoring the urgent need to manage the court’s escalating workload and fulfill the nation's justice requirements effectively.

In a letter addressed to the President, Chief Justice Torkornoo highlighted the critical necessity for this expansion.

“In view of the realities of the court’s workload and output and the need for the court to appropriately serve the justice needs of the nation,” she asserted.

Chief Justice Torkornoo detailed the current operational challenges at the Supreme Court of Ghana (SCOG), which functions three days a week in alternating weeks to manage its caseload.

“Two days are used for panel sitting, and one day for the sitting of a single judge. The SCOG therefore sits 12 times a month.

“On any given day of sitting, the court deals with a minimum of 15 cases and so works on not fewer than 45 matters in a week or approximately 180 matters in a month,” she explained.

She warned of the adverse effects of not increasing the number of judges, emphasising that it would result in delays in decision-making and the administration of justice.

She expressed concern over a potential scenario where justices would need to sit every week, participate in multiple panels, and triple the number of hearings, only to conclude the year with the same backlog of cases as in July 2021.