The Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) has launched a nationwide mobilization effort against the proposal to make High Courts functional on two Saturdays every month, terming the move detrimental to the quality of justice delivery.
In a strongly worded letter dated January 27, 2026, the HCBA has urged Bar Associations across the country to collectively resist the initiative. The Association argues that while the proposal may seem aimed at reducing pendency, it ignores the ground realities of the legal profession and risks imposing severe physical and psychological stress on the legal fraternity.
The ‘Fallacious Narrative’ of Pendency
The proposal to increase court working days has gained momentum recently, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant advocating for High Courts to sit on at least two Saturdays monthly. However, the Allahabad HCBA has challenged the fundamental premise of this move.
In its communication to fellow Bar Associations, the HCBA described the link between pendency and court working days as a “fallacious narrative” set up by those unfamiliar with the judicial system’s intricacies. The letter, signed by HCBA President Rakesh Pande and Secretary Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, cautions that treating the judiciary with a “corporate-style approach to productivity”—where output is measured strictly by hours logged—is a flawed methodology for the justice system.
“Opening of courts on two Saturdays in a month needs to be resisted since it may appear to superficially attractive and appealing to the uninitiated but, eventually, it would affect the quality and quantity of justice,” the letter stated.
The Invisible Work of Weekends
A core argument raised by the Association is the misconception regarding how lawyers and judges utilize weekends. The HCBA highlighted that the official court hours of 10 AM to 4 PM represent only a fraction of a lawyer’s actual workday.
According to the Association, Saturdays and Sundays are not rest days but are crucial for deep legal work that cannot be accommodated during the frenetic pace of the week.
“Matters which may be complicated, time consuming and need extensive preparation are normally dealt with on Saturdays & Sundays… In fact, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days for lawyers,” the letter noted.
The Association warned that removing these preparation days would directly degrade the quality of legal assistance provided to litigants, as lawyers would be left with insufficient time to draft pleadings and study complex legal material.
Impact on Judges and Staff
The letter also drew attention to the administrative and judicial burdens on the bench and registry staff. It pointed out that judges frequently utilize weekends to dictate reserved judgments and clear administrative backlogs.
Furthermore, the HCBA flagged the existing strain on court staff, citing manpower shortages and current delays in basic services like issuing certified copies of orders. Adding working days without addressing these structural deficits, the Association argues, would only compound the pressure.
Call for United Action
The Allahabad HCBA has called upon Bar Associations nationwide to pass resolutions opposing the proposal and to forward these objections to the Supreme Court, the Union Law Minister, and the Chief Justices of their respective High Courts.
This move adds the Allahabad High Court—one of the largest in the country—to a growing list of dissenting voices. Bar associations in Delhi and Kerala have already expressed resistance to similar proposals, warning of the potential burnout and strain on the justice delivery mechanism.
