In a striking display of judicial productivity, the Delhi High Court delivered 378 judgments on July 1 — the very day it reopened after a four-week summer break — despite functioning at only 60% of its sanctioned strength. The data, accessed by Hindustan Times, reflects a concerted effort to reduce the case backlog and underscores the judiciary’s continued functioning even during vacation periods.
Of the total judgments, 362 were on the appellate side, dealing with civil and criminal matters, while 16 were on the original side, which includes high-value commercial disputes, intellectual property rights, and arbitration cases.
Major Disposals and Judicial Contributions
The largest contribution came from two appellate benches led by Justice Navin Chawla, the court’s third senior-most judge, sitting with Justices Shailender Kaur and Renu Bhatnagar. Together, they disposed of 306 civil matters. Another bench comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul resolved 20 additional civil cases.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma handled 10 criminal cases single-handedly, while on the original side, Justice Jasmeet Singh delivered six of the 16 total judgments.
Key Judgments with Broader Impact
Among the notable rulings was an 82-page judgment by Justice Sanjeev Narula, setting aside the Sentence Review Board’s (SRB) denial of premature release to Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo. Justice Narula issued detailed guidelines to the Delhi government to ensure SRB decisions adhere to policy objectives and principles of justice.
In another significant verdict, Justice Narula held that fugitives are not automatically barred from seeking pre-arrest bail under Indian extradition law, potentially impacting future interpretations in international criminal cooperation matters.
Justice Vikas Mahajan issued a progressive order reinforcing the obligation of schools to accommodate children with special needs, particularly reaffirming the rights of an 8-year-old autistic girl under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
In an 85-page ruling, the bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shailender Kaur dismissed 226 petitions filed by the Central government against disability pensions awarded to ex-armed forces personnel. The bench held that the occurrence of disability during “peace postings” cannot be grounds for denial, stressing the need to recognise the inherent risks and hardships of military service.
Judges Active Even During Vacation
The court’s efforts didn’t pause during the summer. Vacation benches continued hearing urgent matters thrice a week. Notably, Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, during vacation, directed the National Law Universities Consortium to revise the CLAT-PG 2025 results, having identified errors in the answer key.
Similarly, Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora convened a special sitting to monitor the cleaning of a foul-smelling culvert and the construction of a foot overbridge — infrastructure urgently needed by over 3,000 Rajputana Rifles soldiers en route to their parade ground.
Supreme Court Sets New Tone on Vacations
Reflecting a shift in judicial philosophy, the Supreme Court in November 2024 officially replaced the term “summer vacation” with “partial working days,” recognising that a part of the judiciary continues to function during breaks. In a marked departure from tradition, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and the four senior-most judges also assembled during the first week of the Supreme Court’s current summer break, which began on May 23.
The Delhi High Court’s exceptional disposal rate on July 1 not only sends a strong message about its resolve to tackle pendency but also aligns with a broader shift in the Indian judiciary toward a more continuous and responsive model of justice delivery.
