Justice B.R. Gavai of the Supreme Court has confirmed that during the upcoming summer recess, the apex court will function with three Vacation Benches each week, marking a continuation of the Court’s partial working schedule adopted in recent years. Justice Gavai, who is slated to assume the office of Chief Justice of India on May 14, made the observation during a hearing on a petition challenging the blocking of the YouTube channel ‘4PM News’.
The summer break of the Supreme Court will begin on May 26, 2025, and full court functioning will resume on July 14, 2025. Referring to the modified summer recess arrangement, Justice Gavai remarked,
“Vacations are partial working days now. It is not a vacation now. We are having three benches working every week.”
This response came after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, requested an early listing before the vacation, following the issuance of notice returnable after two weeks.
Summer Vacation Reforms and Court Functioning
The shift in the Court’s approach to its summer calendar stems from an amendment in 2024, which formally recognised summer breaks as “partial Court working days.” During last year’s break, vacation benches disposed of over 1,170 cases, signalling the Court’s commitment to maintaining accessibility even during recess periods.
While the official notification detailing the constitution of Vacation Benches for 2025 is awaited, the Supreme Court has already issued a notice outlining the listing of matters during the summer session. Key highlights of the notice include:
- Miscellaneous Matters (including fresh, after notice, and adjourned matters) will be listed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays;
- Regular Hearing Matters (including urgent miscellaneous matters) will be heard on Wednesdays and Thursdays;
- All Bail Matters, irrespective of filing date, will be listed during the partial working days;
- A hybrid hearing option will be available, allowing advocates and parties-in-person to appear via video conferencing;
- The Court Registry will remain operational throughout the partial working period, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. However, the Registry will also open on Saturday, July 12, 2025, the last Saturday before full functioning resumes.
