Supreme Court Fixes 3-Month Deadline for Reserved HC Orders
Orders in bail cases must be pronounced the same day, the court says
New Delhi: In a directive to address delays in judicial pronouncements, the Supreme Court on Friday asked High Courts to deliver judgments within three months of reserving orders, with stricter timelines in cases involving personal liberty.
A two-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Baghchi said orders in bail applications should be pronounced on the same day. If reserved, such orders must be delivered and uploaded the following day.
Emphasising the urgency in matters of personal liberty, the court directed that orders granting bail or suspending sentences be communicated immediately to jail authorities to enable release of undertrials or convicts, preferably on the same day or, at the latest, the next day.
The court further said that if only the operative portion of a judgment is pronounced, the detailed reasoning must be uploaded within 15 days. In cases where a judgment is not delivered within four months of being reserved, parties may approach the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court for reassignment to another bench.
It also directed that when a reasoned judgment is pronounced in open court, it should be uploaded on the website within 24 hours.
Clarifying the intent, the bench said the directions were not meant to cast aspersions on any judge or High Court.
The directions were issued while hearing a plea alleging delay in uploading a High Court judgment.