A lawyer requested that a case be heard after the Supreme Court reopened following the summer break. This made CJI Gavai visibly upset
NEW DELHI: Every year, Supreme Court judges take a summer break from the last week of May to the first week of July. During this period, only a few benches sit for urgent hearings.
Recently, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai (CJI BR Gavai) made a strong statement in court which sparked a light-hearted but important exchange among senior advocates and judges.
A few days ago, during a hearing, CJI Gavai expressed his frustration over lawyers seeking adjournments just before the vacation. A lawyer had requested that a case be heard after the Supreme Court reopened following the summer break. This made CJI Gavai visibly upset.
He said, “If the bench will sit for five days before the vacation, then why is the date after the vacation needed.”
He then added, “Lawyers do not want to work and the judges are defamed for case pendency.”
This remark triggered a lot of discussion and was brought up again on Monday, 26 May 2025, in court.
According to a report, two senior advocates, Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Dave, mentioned the CJI’s comments before a vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Suryakant.
Mukul Rohatgi, who was in court for a different matter, entered the courtroom when Justice Nath jokingly asked him, “What are you doing here in vacation?”
In response, Rohatgi referred to CJI Gavai’s earlier statement and said, “CJI Gavai has said that the bench will sit for hearing for the first five days, so everyone has to come to the court. This will be a partial working week.”
Soon after, Siddharth Dave also expressed his displeasure and added, “We have come to the court because we were condemned.”
Justice Vikram Nath, in a humorous tone, told the lawyers, “You go to the CJI’s court. He is the master of the roster, but I am the master of my court.”
This light-hearted statement made everyone in the courtroom laugh.
During the same hearing, Justice Vikram Nath suggested that an older practice should be brought back — that senior advocates should not appear during summer vacations.
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He said, “The old practice of senior advocates not being present during vacations should be resumed in the court.”
Justice Suryakant agreed and said, “Yes, it is needed.”
Hearing this, both Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Dave responded cheerfully, “My Lord, we will be happy if this happens.”
Again, everyone in the court laughed.
