The colonial legacy of long summer vacations continues in the Supreme Court, but for the first time a record 20 benches were set up during the nearly two-month-long break this year and exhausted the list of cases to be taken up during this period with the consent of counsel for parties.
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NEW DELHI: The colonial tradition of extended summer vacations persists in the Supreme Court, but this year marked a significant shift. For the first time, a record 20 benches were established during the nearly two-month-long break, addressing and exhausting the list of cases designated for this period with the consent of counsel for the parties involved.
For those unfamiliar with the demanding work schedule of Supreme Court judges, who are often criticized for the long summer break, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud offered some insights.
“People see us sitting in Supreme Court from 10.30am to 4pm daily, when we handle between 40 and 60 cases,”
-CJI explained.
He emphasized that this visible work is just a fraction of their overall responsibilities.
“The work we do between 10.30am and 4pm is a fraction of the work we do in order to be ready to deal with cases coming up for hearing the next day.”
-CJI
CJI Chandrachud elaborated on the judges’ schedules, highlighting the continuous effort required to stay prepared.
“Every judge spends an equal amount of time reading case files scheduled for the next day. Judgments are reserved on working days. On Saturdays, every judge sits down and dictates judgments. On Sundays, all of us read the cases listed for Monday. So, without exception, every SC judge works seven days a week,”
-he said.
As the Supreme Court resumes its regular sessions after the summer break, the benches led by the CJI will be delivering judgments in the coming weeks, including significant decisions by three nine-judge benches, two seven-judge benches, and two five-judge benches.
These constitution bench matters have been pending for decades and include critical issues such as whether industrial alcohol can be categorized as intoxicating liquor and whether privately owned properties can be classified as community property.
Despite the heavy administrative workload and numerous conferences both in India and abroad, CJI Chandrachud has been diligently working on judgments reserved in 18 cases, encompassing a total of 176 connected petitions.
The Supreme Court registry stated,
“Other SC judges have reserved judgments in 190 cases with 786 connected petitions and they are also working round-the-clock on these judgments so that decisions can be pronounced within a few weeks of the court reopening.”
In the six years preceding 2023, an average of 1,380 cases were listed every summer vacation. However, in 2023 and 2024, the numbers surged to 2,261 and 4,160 cases, respectively.
The Supreme Court registry noted a significant increase in case disposals during the summer vacation, with a near three-fold rise to 1,170 cases compared to 2017 data.
“The average disposal of matter preceding 2023 was around 461 cases per vacation. In the 2023 summer break, the SC disposed of 751 cases, which this year increased to 1,170,”
-it stated.
Additionally, the vacation benches issued notices in 1,157 matters during the summer break this year.
This unprecedented productivity during the summer vacation underscores the relentless dedication of the Supreme Court judges, striving to address the backlog and ensure timely justice.
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