SC Asks HC To Create Dashboards To Track Reserved Judgments
“Let everyone know how many judgments were reserved, in how many cases orders were passed, and on which date the decisions were uploaded on the High Court website”: Justice Surya Kant
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said every High Court must have a website dashboard showing when cases are reserved and when judgments are delivered.
A two-judge bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi took note of instances where several High Courts, including the Jharkhand High Court, had not delivered verdicts in both criminal and civil cases for years after reserving them following final arguments. The bench observed that such information should be made public to ensure judicial accountability.
“Let everyone know how many judgments were reserved, in how many cases orders were passed, and on which date the decisions were uploaded on the High Court website,” Justice Kant said during the hearing.
Echoing this sentiment, Justice Bagchi remarked, “Creating a dashboard or a separate window on the High Court’s website will demonstrate the judiciary’s accountability to the people.”
The court was hearing a batch of petitions, one of which was filed by death row and life convicts through advocate Fauzia Shakil, alleging that the Jharkhand High Court had failed to deliver judgments for years on their appeals against conviction and sentence despite having reserved orders after final arguments.
Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the Jharkhand High Court subsequently delivered its verdicts in those cases, leading to the acquittal of most of the petitioners. Similar petitions were later filed by other convicts lodged in various prisons across Jharkhand seeking identical relief.
The bench then expanded the scope of the case, seeking details from all High Courts on judgments that remained pending for months after being reserved.
On Wednesday, Ms. Shakil, now serving as amicus curiae, informed the bench that seven High Courts had yet to submit their data, while the remaining courts had furnished their reports, which were being compiled.
Taking a serious view, the Supreme Court directed the High Courts of Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Patna, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Telangana, and Gauhati to submit their reports within two weeks, warning that their Registrars General would be required to appear in person on the next date of hearing if they failed to comply.
The top court also asked all High Courts to provide suggestions on improving public dissemination of information, so that uniform national guidelines could be formulated. It further directed them to highlight any concerns or difficulties regarding the release of such data.
Justice Kant clarified that the data to be displayed on High Court websites would not be case- or person-specific, but would instead indicate the total number of cases in which judgments were reserved between January 31 and October 31, 2025, the number of verdicts delivered during that period, and the dates on which they were uploaded online.
