Syllabus: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary
Context
- The Supreme Court directed all High Courts to publicly disclose the time taken by judges to pronounce verdicts.
- The order arose while hearing a plea by four life convicts alleging 2–3 year delays in judgment delivery by the Jharkhand High Court.
Background
- Currently, there is no fixed timeline for delivering judgments after hearings are completed.
- Conventionally, verdicts are expected within two to six months of being reserved.
- In practice, judges in both the Supreme Court and High Courts sometimes take over a year, due to complex legal issues or heavy workload.
Supreme Court Observations
- Justice Surya Kant stressed that judicial reforms must ensure transparency and public accountability.
- The public should know:
- How many judgments each judge has reserved.
- How many judgments have been pronounced.
- Time taken to upload verdicts on official websites.
- Key Directions
- High Courts must submit reports on their existing systems for publishing:
- Dates of reservation of judgments.
- Time between reservation and pronouncement.
- Dates of uploading judgments on websites.
- They must provide data on all judgments reserved after January 31, 2025, and pronounced by October 31, 2025.
- High Courts should state their views on creating a uniform disclosure mechanism.
- High Courts must submit reports on their existing systems for publishing:
- Need Highlighted by SC
- A dedicated dashboard on High Court websites can show real-time information on reserved and delivered judgments.
- Court emphasised that judges must be aware of their responsibility and timelines without micromanagement.
Q- “Judicial accountability is essential to preserve public faith in the judiciary without compromising its independence.” Discuss. (10 Marks)