In a significant development, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), DY Chandrachud, has issued a plea to lawyers, urging them to refrain from requesting postponements for new cases. The CJI expressed his concerns about the Supreme Court becoming a ‘tarikh-pe-tarikh’ court, characterized by endless case postponements.
During the commencement of today’s proceedings, CJI Chandrachud highlighted the frequent adjournment requests made by lawyers for fresh cases. He disclosed that in the past two months alone, advocates had sought adjournments in a staggering 3,688 cases.
Presiding over the bench alongside Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, the CJI emphasized the need for lawyers to use their discretion when considering adjournment requests. He stated, “I don’t want this court to become a ‘tarikh-pe-tarikh’ court,” making reference to a famous Bollywood dialogue from the movie “Damini,” where the culture of repeated adjournments in courts was lamented by the actor Sunny Deol.
The CJI acknowledged the significant reduction in the time between filing fresh cases and their listing in the Supreme Court, a development made possible through collaboration with lawyers’ associations. However, he expressed disappointment that even after cases were listed, lawyers continued to seek adjournments, which he believed sent a negative message to the public.
CJI Chandrachud said, “I have observed a reduction in the time from filing to listing. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) and the SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association).”
The CJI highlighted that on November 3, there were 178 adjournment requests, and on miscellaneous days since October, there were 150 adjournment requests daily. In total, from September to October, 3,688 adjournment requests were made, a trend that, in his view, defeats the very purpose of expediting cases.
This call from the Chief Justice of India represents a critical effort to ensure that the justice system operates efficiently and does not succumb to the delays caused by repeated adjournments.
