Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has stressed the urgent need for filling the vacant posts of Judges in various courts across the country. He was speaking at the inauguration of 18th Biennial State-Level Conference of Judicial Officers on 'Walking The Extra Mile for Judicial Excellence' organised by Karnataka State Judicial Officers' Association in Bengaluru. <br/><br/>He said that, however, shortage of Judges should not come in the way of ensuring justice to all. He said, the country is moving towards digitalisation and Judiciary will also adopt it soon. '<br/><br/>Speaking on the occasion, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, the advocates can play a vital role in reducing the number of cases by appearing in courts always on time. He said, advocates can also use the Lok Adalat Platform to facilitate mutual settlement. <br/><br/>Mr Siddaramaiah said, the total number of cases pending in all the subordinate Courts in the State as on November 1, 2016 was 16,24,233, of which Government cases are 91,540. He said, the number of Courts in the state has risen to 1,300 from 201 in 1972 and the number of litigations and the litigants have also increased. <br/><br/>The Chief Minister said, there has been a steep increase in the budget allocation for providing adequate infrastructure to courts in the last three years. He said, the budget allocation, which was 574 crore rupees in 2013-14, has been increased to 671 crore rupees in 2016-17. ''''<br/>