Don't Want SC To Become A 'Tarikh Pe Tarik Court', 3600 Matters Adjourned In 2 Months: CJI Says While Urging Lawyer To Curb Frequent Adjournments
|Today, the Supreme Court expressed concern regarding the frequent adjournment requests made by Advocates, even after mentioning their cases for urgent hearings. Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud urged members of the Bar to consider the necessity of adjournment and called upon the Bar Association to reflect on this matter and take necessary corrective measures.
At the commencement of today's sitting, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) announced that he had been overseeing the progress of cases from filing to the first hearing for some time and expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court of India Advocates on Record Association (SCOARA). However, he urged members of the Bar to reduce the use of adjournment slips to ensure that the legal process remains efficient and accessible to all citizens.
The CJI stated, "I am monitoring the progress of matters from filing to the first hearing to ensure that the time period is reduced to the bare minimum. I must thank the SCOARA and SCBA; all the lawyers are really cooperating with us. Without your cooperation, we cannot achieve, as you are vital stakeholders in the process."
Continuing, he stated, "I have one request for the members of the Bar: Today, on the 3rd of November 2023, there are 178 adjournment slips. Now, I am keeping track of the adjournment slips, and I have gathered some data on an average per miscellaneous day from 1st September 2023 to 3rd November 2023. For each miscellaneous day, 154 adjournment letters are circulated by the members of the Bar. In two months, on miscellaneous days in September and October, 3,688 adjournment slips have been sought. My feeling is that this really defeats the very purpose of expediting the process from filing to listing, because on the one hand, we are expediting the matters to be listed immediately, and I have 3,688 adjournment slips between September and October."
Further highlighting the data, the CJI stated, "On the contrary, I find that 2,361 matters have been mentioned since 1st September 2023, which comprises about 15% to 20% of the freshly adjourned matters. Per day from 1st September to 3rd November, on average, 59 matters are mentioned every day. Ironically, three times the matters mentioned have been adjourned by circulating adjournment slips. They are mentioned three times and have been adjourned the moment the matter comes up for a hearing. These aspects present the picture that, on the one hand, matters are listed at an expedited rate, but on the contrary, adjournments are sought. So I will request the members of the Bar, in that sense, to really not seek adjournments unless it is really, really necessary."
The CJI further added, "We don't normally ask why somebody is asking for time, but in the High Court, we were very strict. There was no concept of adjournments in the High Court; you had to ask for permission at that moment, and the Judge would then exercise discretion. We have evolved this practice in the Supreme Court. I, for one, allowed things to continue as they are, as you have to fit into the existing culture. But at the same time, I think it is based on the model cooperation of the members of the bar."
Expressing his worry, the CJI also added, "Otherwise, you see the figures; they speak for themselves. I don't want this to become a "Tarik per Tarik" Court because how do we justify it to citizens that 3,600 miscellaneous matters are adjourned in 2 months when they are listed? This doesn't send a good image of our court. So, it's for the bar to reflect and take corrective measures."