upreme Court Sets 3-Month Deadline for High Court Judges: Case to Be Reassigned if Verdict Delayed

New Delhi :  The Supreme Court has introduced a strict timeline for High Court judges, setting a maximum limit of three months to deliver judgments in cases where orders have been reserved. The court ruled that if a verdict is not pronounced within this period, and even two weeks thereafter, the case will be reassigned to another judge.

A bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra observed that the long-standing practice of reserving judgments for months erodes public faith in the judicial process, calling it “deeply shocking and astonishing.”

The bench noted that:

In many instances, High Court hearings conclude, yet judgments remain pending for six months or even years.

Some courts pronounce the operative order but delay issuing the reasoned judgment, depriving litigants of the opportunity to seek further legal remedies.

The Supreme Court further pointed out that most High Courts lack a mechanism for litigants to raise concerns about delayed judgments with the Chief Justice. Under the new system:

If a judgment is not delivered within three months, the Registrar General must place the matter before the Chief Justice.

The Chief Justice will then direct the concerned bench to pronounce the verdict within two weeks.

If still pending, the case will be reassigned to another bench.

This ruling came while hearing appeals filed by Ravindra Pratap Shahi, who challenged interim orders in a criminal case pending since 2008 in the Allahabad High Court. Despite repeated pleas for early disposal, no final decision was given.

The Allahabad High Court had reserved its order on December 24, 2021, but failed to pronounce the verdict for nearly a year. Eventually, in January 2023, the matter was reassigned to a regular bench. The Supreme Court criticized this delay, calling it “an affront to the basic essence of justice,” and enforced the new deadline.