Context
- The debate over judicial holidays has resurfaced with critics questioning why courts observe extended breaks. The assumption that judges rest during these periods is largely wrong and deeply uninformed.
The Invisible Workload of Judges
- The public sees only judges presiding in courtrooms, but not the considerably longer phase that follows.
- After court hours, judges return home to write judgments that often stretch past midnight.
- Each judgment requires close analysis of facts, legal principles, precedents and precise language since every word carries legal weight.
- Long before the court assembles, judges spend hours reading voluminous case files and studying precedents in complete silence.
- Judicial breaks are therefore not periods of rest but working windows for completing pending judgments and constitutional matters.
- With case backlogs continuing to rise, these breaks are often the only stretches available for uninterrupted judicial work.
Examples Reflecting Judicial Dedication
- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (USA):
- Known to arrive at her chambers after lunch and work late into the night consistently.
- She scheduled her cancer surgeries in 1999 and 2009 to ensure she did not miss a single day on the Bench.
- Justice D.Y. Chandrachud (India):
- During his eight-year tenure in the Supreme Court, he authored over 600 judgments and sat on more than 1,200 Benches before retiring as the 50th Chief Justice of India in November 2024.
- Justice H.R. Khanna:
- The night before delivering his lone dissent in the ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency, he told his sister the judgment would cost him the Chief Justiceship of India.
- He was right as he was superseded by Justice M.H. Beg, who had ruled with the majority.
- His dissent was eventually vindicated when the Supreme Court overruled ADM Jabalpur in the Puttaswamy verdict of 2017.
- It is now remembered as one of the bravest decisions in Indian judicial history.
The Personal and Economic Cost of Judicial Service
- Families of judges describe a familiar pattern — even on holidays, judges are occupied with laptops, files and video calls with law clerks.
- Judicial service becomes a shared commitment for the entire household, not merely an individual one.
- A senior advocate may earn in a single hearing what a judge earns over several months.
- Many judges take the Bench after giving up lucrative practices, choosing service to the nation over personal financial gain.
- Judicial decisions are publicly and legally scrutinised, requiring judges to remain neutral even when the personal cost is high.
- Dedication Beyond Retirement
- Lord Denning served on the Bench for 38 years, delivered around 2,000 reported judgments and retired at 83.
- He continued writing books on law till his 100th birthday, described by Margaret Thatcher as probably the greatest English judge of modern times.
- Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer continued producing books, articles and lectures on jurisprudence almost until his death at 99 in 2014.
Conclusion: A judge’s duty does not pause when courts close. It continues through late-night drafting, early morning preparation and constant engagement with the law. The debate on judicial holidays deserves a more informed footing as one that recognises the immense unseen labour that sustains India’s constitutional democracy.
