Mention dates of reserving, pronouncing and uploading of verdicts, SC tells high courts

Faced with inordinate delay in pronouncement of judgments by some high court judges, the Supreme Court has asked all the 25 high courts across India to mention dates of reserving, pronouncing and uploading of verdicts in certified copies.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh asked high courts to modify their existing practice/formats within four weeks to ensure compliance.

The Bench also asked high courts to specify if the pronouncement was of the operative part only or the full judgment was pronounced. Where only the operative part of a judgment is pronounced, reasons ought to follow within five days of the pronouncement, the top court said, posting the matter for further consideration on November 10.

The top court has been dealing with petitions complaining that the judgments were not being pronounced in several cases by various high courts despite the fact that arguments had taken place years back.

In this backdrop, it had asked all the high courts to furnish information with respect to the pending judgments as well as those which have been pronounced after a cut-off date, along with the dates when such judgments were reserved. Subsequently, it had also asked high courts to furnish the dates when such judgments were uploaded on websites.

The order came after amicus curiae Fauzia Shakil filed a brief compilation report based on information received from different high courts.

She pointed out that complete reports from the high courts of Kerala and Patna were still awaited, and that 11 high courts had not given dates of reserving judgments, where judgments had already been pronounced. Only the dates of pronouncement and uploading were given, she explained.

The top court asked Shakil to prepare a format which shall uniformly apply to all high courts.

“If the information furnished by high courts so far fits in within that format, it may be so collated. However, if some additional information is required in a compatible format, the learned amicus may apprise this court so that necessary directions to high courts to furnish the requisite information can be issued. High courts may do the needful within four weeks,” it ordered.