The Supreme Court of India, addressing the issue of prolonged delays in the pronouncement of judgments after hearings are concluded, has directed the Registrar Generals of all High Courts to submit details of their existing mechanisms for publicizing timelines of cases. The Court also expressed its displeasure with four High Courts for failing to provide previously sought data, ordering their Registrar Generals to comply within two weeks or appear in person.
The order was passed on November 12, 2025, by a bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi in the case of Pila Pahan @ Peela Pahan & Ors. vs. The State of Jharkhand & Anr. (W.P.(Crl.) No. 169/2025).
Background of the Matter
The proceedings were initiated by a writ petition filed by convicts “whose criminal appeals against conviction had been heard but the judgments were awaited for a long time.”
This petition led the Supreme Court to issue an order on May 5, 2025, directing the Registrar Generals of all High Courts to submit reports detailing cases where judgments were reserved on or before January 31, 2025, but were still awaiting pronouncement.
Court’s Observations on Compliance
During the hearing, the bench noted that while the High Courts of Karnataka, Bombay, Orissa, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Madras, Rajasthan, Calcutta, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab & Haryana, Kerala, and Gauhati had submitted their reports, four High Courts had not.
The Court observed, “Unfortunately, the High Courts of Allahabad, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Patna, and Telangana have neither submitted their reports nor sought any extension of time.” The bench added, “They are not coming forward even to assist this Court, as no one has entered an appearance on their behalf.”
Directions Issued by the Court
In light of the non-compliance, the Court directed the Registrar Generals of the four aforementioned High Courts to “make the necessary compliance within two weeks, failing which they shall remain present in Court on the next date of hearing.”
The Supreme Court then expanded the scope of its inquiry, stating that “it may not be advisable for this Court to undertake continuous monitoring” and that information had previously been “sought to be gathered from the High Courts randomly.”
The bench issued fresh directions to all High Courts, through their Registrar Generals, to submit the following:
- “The existing mechanism evolved by them to bring into the public domain, the date when the judgment is reserved; the date of its pronouncement and the date when it is actually uploaded on the website.”
- “The details of the judgments reserved after 31.01.2025 and the dates of their respective pronouncement till 31.10.2025, along with the dates when they were uploaded on the website.”
Furthermore, the Court invited the High Courts to provide “suggestions for improvement and for a uniform pattern of disclosure of information” regarding this ‘subject issue’. They were also asked to report any “difficulties or adverse consequences, if any, which the High Courts might apprehend to experience in the event of such information being brought to the public domain.”
All High Courts have been directed to complete this process within four weeks. The matter has been posted for further consideration on January 28, 2026.
