From January 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s reform will ensure that the Supreme Court no longer allows endless hearings, requiring lawyers to commit to fixed timelines to speed up justice and eliminate unnecessary delays.
New Delhi: In a significant step towards reform, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant announced that starting January 2026, the “Supreme Court will no longer permit endless hearings.”
Lawyers will be required to formally commit to completing their arguments within a specified time frame.
This initiative aims to promote quicker justice and eliminate delays.
As part of this reform, the Supreme Court has introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for lawyers, mandating adherence to strict timelines for the submission of oral arguments in all cases, effective immediately.
In a circular issued by the Supreme Court, the initiative is described as a means to facilitate “effective Court Management and equitable distribution of Court working hours and to ensure speedy and proper administration of justice.”
According to the SOP, senior advocates and arguing counsels, along with advocate-on-records, must submit their timelines for oral arguments at least one day before the hearing commences.
These timelines are to be submitted through the court’s online portal designed for appearance slips already available to advocates on record.
Additionally, the arguing counsel whether senior advocates or other appointed representatives must deliver a concise note or written submission not exceeding five pages.
This submission should be made at least three days before the hearing date, with a copy served to the opposing side.
The circular, signed by four registrars of the Supreme Court, emphasizes that all lawyers must adhere strictly to the established timelines and conclude their oral arguments accordingly.
Also Read: Supreme Court Issues SOP for Timely Submission of Oral Arguments to Ensure Speedy Justice
During a recent hearing related to the challenges against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and other states, CJI Surya Kant stated,
“From January 2026, I will not permit this endless hearings in cases. All the Counsels will have to give in writing a commitment to meet that they’ll argue in the scheduled time-frame. This will be done so that there is equitable and proportional allocation of court time to all the cases. There are so many poor people languishing in jail, fighting for bail and we are not getting time to hear them.”
The circular released on this topic reiterates,
“Senior Advocates, Arguing counsel and/or Advocate-on-record, shall submit the timelines for making oral arguments in all post-notice and Regular Hearing matters, at least a day prior to the commencement of the hearing of the case. The same shall be submitted to the Hon’ble Court through the online portal for submitting Appearance Slips already provided to the Advocate-on-record.”
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