In a decisive announcement at the Constitution Day Function held by the Supreme Court Bar Association on Tuesday, Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, reaffirmed his stance against reverting to the old system of circulating adjournment letters. The old practice, which involved nearly one thousand letters circulated daily, was curtailed significantly last year when the Supreme Court moved to modernize the process.
Under the new system, introduced in February after a temporary prohibition in December, the court significantly reduced the frequency and criteria for accepting adjournment letters. Now, adjournment requests are tightly regulated, allowing only one circulation per letter and restricting them in certain case categories, leading to a dramatic drop in their numbers—from about 9000-10,000 over three months to roughly 150 per month.
Addressing the legal community, CJI Khanna expressed his resolve to continue with the new procedure despite requests from bar members to allow a return to the previous method. “The data is clear. We have managed to reduce the burden significantly, from over 1000 letters a day to 150 a month. Returning to the old ways is counterproductive,” he emphasized.
The Chief Justice did, however, show flexibility in other areas based on feedback from the bar. His approval for the reinstatement of physical cause lists and enhancements to the court’s infrastructure—including additional conference rooms, cabins for oath commissioners, improved photocopy facilities, and enhanced Wi-Fi—highlight his commitment to improving the overall efficiency and environment for legal proceedings.
