In a significant development aimed at improving judicial transparency and accountability, the Supreme Court has directed all High Courts across the country to submit detailed reports specifying the dates on which judgments were pronounced and the corresponding dates of their upload on official portals.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh issued the directive on Thursday while hearing a matter where a litigant alleged undue delay in the delivery of a reserved judgment.
“The Registrar Generals of all High Courts are directed to submit a further report giving full description of the dates of pronouncement of judgments and the dates when such judgments are uploaded,” the Bench ordered.
Background
The directive builds on an earlier order of the Court, which had called for information from all High Courts regarding cases where judgments were reserved on or before January 31, 2025, but have still not been pronounced.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner submitted that a judgment in their case, which challenges an October 2023 order, was reserved by the Allahabad High Court in July 2024 after detailed arguments. The dispute pertained to whether an appellate authority has the power to review its own order.
“We have been left high and dry,” the petitioner’s counsel urged, highlighting the prolonged delay.
Justice Surya Kant noted that a broader exercise is already underway in another matter where the Court had sought similar information from the High Courts. Questioning the necessity of a separate petition, the Bench was informed that the current case had been filed before the earlier directive was passed.
Taking note of the overlap, the Court tagged the present matter with the earlier proceedings and reiterated its directive to all High Courts for updated reports. Additionally, it requested the concerned judge of the Allahabad High Court to “look into the present matter and take appropriate remedial steps.”
