Overview
- Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told High Courts to host automated dashboards showing when judgments are reserved, pronounced, and uploaded, with emphasis on matters pending over six months.
- Registrar Generals must file affidavits detailing existing disclosure mechanisms, data for judgments reserved after January 31, 2025 and pronounced up to October 31, 2025 with upload dates, and suggestions for a uniform model.
- Amicus curiae Fauzia Shakil said seven High Courts have not submitted details, and the bench gave Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Telangana, and Gauhati two weeks to comply or face personal appearance by their Registrars General.
- The bench clarified the dashboards will display aggregate figures rather than judge- or case-specific data to ensure transparency without compromising privacy or independence.
- The intervention grew out of a plea by four life convicts whose Jharkhand appeals had been reserved for years, after which the High Court delivered verdicts that resulted in their acquittals.