The Supreme Court has criticized High Court judges for delays in releasing reasoned orders, urging that such orders should be made public within two days, or no later than five days. The Court emphasized that delays undermine trust in the judiciary and urged judges to “stand tall and rise to the challenge.”
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has condemned the long delays by High Court judges in releasing reasoned orders, stating that this should be done preferably within two days but in no case beyond five days. The Court emphasized that delays could foster suspicion among litigants, jeopardizing the integrity of the judiciary.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Prashant Kumar Mishra set aside a Gujarat High Court order that was pronounced in open court on March 1, 2023, but not released until April 30, 2024. Acting on a plea by Ratilal Jhaverbhai Parmar and others, the Supreme Court criticized the High Court judge for “breaching all norms of ethics” by assigning reasons more than a year after the pronouncement.
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In its judgment dated October 21, the Court highlighted that judges must remain mindful of the societal impact of their actions.
“Dealing with lakhs of litigation is no mean task, but at the same time, we must realize that instances do emerge leaving absolutely no margin for error. It is our duty as judges to stand tall and rise to the challenge,”
the bench stated.
The Supreme Court explained that judges, after hearing a case, have three options: delivering a judgment in open court, reserving it for a later date, or pronouncing the outcome while indicating that a detailed reasoned judgment would follow. In cases where the third option is chosen, the Court emphasized that it would be in the “interest of justice” to make the reasons publicly available within two to five days.
The Court further stressed that with the increasing public interest in court proceedings and the wide coverage on social media platforms, judges are in the spotlight. “The society expects every judge of a high court to be a model of rectitude, an epitome of unimpeachable integrity, and unwavering principles,” the bench added.
The Supreme Court reiterated that failure to abide by binding precedents harms the judicial system and urged high court judges to remain committed to their duty to litigants, who rely on them for justice.
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