CJI Surya Kant said the Supreme Court is ready to sit even at midnight to deliver justice to the poor, rejecting luxury litigation by the rich. His remarks revive memories of the historic 3 AM Supreme Court hearing in 2015 in the Yakub Memon case.
New Delhi: Such cases often come before the Supreme Court of India which have a deep and long-lasting impact on the country. Many matters related to the Constitution and interpretation of law are so important that the Supreme Court itself takes notice of them and starts hearing the case on its own, which is known as suo motu cognisance.
The role of the Supreme Court becomes even more important when the case involves fundamental rights, constitutional values, or justice for the poor and marginalised sections of society.
Recently, Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant made a strong statement during the hearing of a case, clearly explaining what the Supreme Court’s real priorities should be. While hearing an application, the CJI said that delivering justice to poor people is his biggest responsibility.
He made it clear that the court is always ready to work extra hours if it helps those who truly need justice. Referring to his commitment, he said that for the poor, he is ready to sit in court even till midnight.
The remarks were made while the Supreme Court was dismissing the petition of a man named Tilak Singh Dangi. During the hearing, the Chief Justice strongly expressed his views against unnecessary and luxury litigation filed by rich and influential people.
He stated that such cases waste the court’s valuable time which should instead be used for people who genuinely need help from the justice system.
The CJI said,
“I am here for the youngest and poorest petitioners sitting in the last row. If needed, I will sit here till amidnight for them,”
clearly underlining his focus on access to justice for the underprivileged.
Justice Surya Kant’s words reminded many people of an extraordinary incident from around 15 years ago, when the Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of holding a hearing at 3 am in the morning.
This rare and historic event showed how far the apex court can go when a case of national importance demands urgent attention.
For the first time in its history, the Supreme Court opened its doors at 3 am on July 30, 2015, to hear the last petition filed to stop the execution of Yakub Memon. Yakub Memon was convicted for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, one of the deadliest terror attacks in India’s history.
The petition was filed at the last moment, and given the seriousness of the matter involving the death penalty, the Supreme Court agreed to hear it immediately.
The late-night hearing lasted for about 90 minutes. After carefully hearing all arguments, the bench of three judges rejected the plea seeking a stay on Yakub Memon’s execution. Following the court’s decision, Yakub Memon was hanged at Nagpur Central Jail just before 7 am the same morning.
That night saw intense activity across New Delhi. After midnight, several social activists and lawyers became active and rushed to different locations in a desperate attempt to stop the execution. They first reached the residence of the then Chief Justice of India, H L Dattu.
From there, they went to the house of Supreme Court judge Dipak Misra located on Tughlaq Road. When these efforts failed, they finally reached the Supreme Court building, located a few kilometres away, leading to the historic 3 am hearing.
The petition in that case was filed by a senior lawyer like Prashant Bhushan, which further highlighted the seriousness and urgency of the matter.
Although the plea was ultimately dismissed, the incident remains a powerful example of the Supreme Court’s willingness to sit at any hour when justice demands it.
Justice Surya Kant’s recent remarks have once again brought attention to this spirit of the Supreme Court — a court that places the needs of the poor and vulnerable above all else, and one that is ready to work beyond regular hours to protect constitutional values and ensure justice reaches those sitting in the last row.
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