Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court voiced his frustration over the frequent requests for adjournments made by lawyers during court proceedings. On Friday, while hearing a case, Justice Chandrachud stressed the need to change the way lawyers approach their work in the Supreme Court, saying, “We don’t want the Supreme Court to become a ‘Tarikh Pe Tarikh’ court.”
A bench that included Justice Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli became irritated when a lawyer, representing a Hindu priest in a civil appeal, asked for more time to argue the case, citing a letter for adjournment.
“We will not adjourn the hearing,” the bench responded firmly. Justice Chandrachud added, “At most, we can postpone the hearing, but you must argue the case. We do not want the Supreme Court to develop a reputation for constant delays.”
Referring to a well-known dialogue from the Hindi movie Damini, Justice Chandrachud emphasized that the prestige of the Supreme Court must be upheld. He pointed out that judges often stay up late preparing for the next day’s hearings by thoroughly reading case files, only for lawyers to request adjournments when their cases come up.
Justice Chandrachud also highlighted the inconsistency, noting that lawyers often complain about cases not being listed for hearings, yet seek delays when they are scheduled. He urged all lawyers to respect the court’s time, stating, “Each one of you must realize that the court’s time is valuable. We spend hours preparing for these cases, and then advocates simply ask for adjournments. Why file a case if you don’t want to argue it?”
The bench eventually postponed the hearing, and when the lawyer returned for arguments, the court refused to interfere with the appeal, advising the priest to take the matter to the High Court instead.
Be a part our social media community:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndianMan.in?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/indianman.in?igsh=MWZ2N3N0ZmpwM3l3cw==
