Supreme Court Proposes High Courts Publish Details Of Judgments Reserved For Over 6 Months
Kiran Raj
The Supreme Court proposed that all High Courts develop dashboards on their official websites to display when judgments are reserved, pronounced, and uploaded. The initiative aims to promote greater transparency and accountability in the judicial system.
The Court said that details about judgments reserved but not pronounced for over six months, as well as those pronounced after such delay, should be made available in the public domain.
“Let everybody know that in this High Court, how many judgments have been reserved by any xyz and how many of them have been pronounced, and within how many days those have been pronounced. This information should be automated, available in public domain. How many pronounced after 6 months and how many are awaiting pronouncement after 6 months, and most importantly how many days it took in uploading the judgments. Is the judgment, after pronouncement, readily available on the website?” said Justice Surya Kant.
“That will show the transparency and the accountability of the judiciary to the people,” added Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a case concerning delays in the pronouncement of reserved judgments in the Jharkhand High Court. Earlier, the Court had directed the Registrar Generals of all High Courts to submit reports by May 5, 2025, identifying cases where judgments had not been pronounced despite being reserved on or before January 31.
At the hearing, the Bench noted that while some High Courts had filed their affidavits, others had not. The non-compliant Registrars were directed to furnish their affidavits within two weeks, failing which they would be required to appear in person.
After reviewing a report filed by Amicus Curiae Fauzia Shakil, the Bench also directed all High Courts to file affidavits detailing:
- “Existing mechanism evolved by them to bring in public domain the dates when a judgment is reserved, pronounced and uploaded on website;
- Details of the judgments reserved after 31 January 2025 and the dates of their pronouncement till 31 October 2025, alongwith the dates when they were uploaded on website;
- High Courts may also give their suggestions for improvement and for uniform pattern of disclosure of information to the general public in respect of subject issue and the difficulties/adverse consequences, if any, which HCs might be apprehending to experience in the event of such information being brought into public domain.”
The Court directed that the exercise be completed within four weeks and noted that some High Courts had already made significant progress on the issue.
Case Title: PILA PAHAN @ PEELA PAHAN and Ors. vs. The State of Jharkhand and Anr.,
Case No.: W.P.(Crl.) No. 169/2025
Bench: Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi
