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Supreme Court Orders Jharkhand HC Judges to Use Leave to Clear 61 Pending Judgments

The Supreme Court has urged judges to devote 10–12 weeks of accrued leave to writing 61 reserved verdicts, with progress set to be reviewed in three months.

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The advice came after a bench led by justice Surya Kant discovered that in dozens of cases, verdicts had been reserved for months, and in some instances more than a year, without being pronounced. (HT)

Overview

  • A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi took note that 61 cases remained unacted on since hearings ended before January 2024 and advised judges to use sanctioned leave to draft reasoned orders.
  • The directive followed petitions by tribal-area students over delayed home guard recruitment appeals and by death-row convicts who waited more than a year for verdicts.
  • The top court instructed judges to begin the leave period immediately and scheduled a three-month follow-up hearing to assess completion of the backlog.
  • Earlier interventions included a May order demanding a status report on all cases reserved before January 31 and a July notice that spurred verdicts in ten criminal appeals within one week.
  • Critics argue the delay breaches Article 21’s guarantee of speedy justice and highlights the need for performance audits, court digitization and broader procedural reforms.