In a landmark move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the judiciary, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all high courts across India to furnish detailed information regarding the timelines of their judgments. The order requires courts to disclose key dates, including when cases were reserved for verdict, when judgments were pronounced, and when they were uploaded on official court websites. The initiative is intended to provide litigants and the public with clear insights into the functioning and efficiency of the judicial system, thereby reducing uncertainty and strengthening institutional accountability.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi emphasized that collating and publishing this data in the public domain would allow stakeholders to track the performance of each of the 25 high courts uniformly. “Most importantly, how many days it took in uploading the judgments,” the bench observed, underlining the significance of timely dissemination of judicial decisions for both transparency and public confidence.
Progress So Far and Pending Submissions
The court noted that several high courts, including Karnataka, Orissa, Jharkhand, Manipur, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Bombay, and Calcutta, had already submitted reports on their judgment timelines. Additionally, submissions from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand were filed more recently but were yet to be collated.
However, six high courts—Allahabad, Guwahati, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Patna, and Telangana—had neither filed their reports nor requested additional time. The bench directed the registrars general of these courts to either comply with the order or appear before the Supreme Court on the next hearing date to explain the delay.
Standardization and Digital Dashboard Proposal
During the hearing, amicus curiae and advocate Fauzia Shakil proposed the creation of a digital dashboard to display the number of reserved and delivered judgments across all high courts. The bench welcomed the idea, noting that such a platform would provide a clear, publicly accessible overview of judicial performance and reinforce accountability to the people.
The Supreme Court also called for suggestions from the high courts on standardizing the format for reporting timelines and improving disclosure practices. The high courts were asked to indicate any practical challenges or potential adverse consequences of adopting a uniform public disclosure system, allowing the apex court to consider these while finalizing procedural norms.
Four-Week Compliance Timeline
In its order, the Supreme Court set a four-week deadline for all high courts to submit the existing mechanisms they have evolved for bringing judgment timelines into the public domain. Specifically, high courts are required to provide:
- The dates when each judgment was reserved.
- The dates when judgments were pronounced.
- The dates when judgments were uploaded on official websites.
- Details of all judgments reserved after January 31, 2025, with dates of pronouncement and uploading up to October 31, 2025.
This comprehensive reporting is intended to offer a consistent and uniform picture of judicial efficiency across jurisdictions, rather than being limited to individual litigant queries.
Background: Need for Transparency
The ongoing exercise originates from a previous proceeding in a case from Jharkhand, where the Supreme Court expressed concern over delays in the delivery and publication of judgments. Several convicts had approached the court, alleging that their criminal appeals remained undecided for months, or even years, after being heard. In response, the apex court had earlier directed all high courts to record three key dates in every certified copy of judgments: the date of reservation, the date of pronouncement, and the date of uploading. The court also emphasized that reasons should ordinarily follow operative orders within a few days to ensure timely access to legal reasoning.
Judicial Objectives and Public Accountability
The Supreme Court’s directive underscores a broader objective: creating an institutional mechanism that enables comprehensive monitoring of judicial performance, independent of individual litigant concerns. By tracking the duration between reservation, pronouncement, and online publication of judgments, the judiciary aims to identify bottlenecks and enhance procedural efficiency.
The bench reiterated that the system should present an overall picture of the high courts’ functioning, showing how effectively and promptly cases are resolved and judgments uploaded, rather than focusing on specific litigants. Such measures are expected to provide litigants with clarity, help researchers and policymakers assess judicial performance, and instill public confidence in the justice delivery system.
Implications for High Courts and Litigants
The order places responsibility on high courts to ensure timely compilation and publication of judgment data, thus promoting accountability at multiple levels:
- For High Courts: It requires systematic recording of judgment timelines, uniform reporting, and identification of any procedural gaps that might delay pronouncements or publication.
- For Litigants: Transparency regarding judgment timelines will reduce uncertainty about case outcomes, facilitate planning for appeals or compliance, and allow affected parties to track the progress of cases more reliably.
- For the Public: By making data accessible through a uniform digital platform, the judiciary demonstrates its commitment to openness, efficiency, and institutional accountability.
Next Steps
The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing on this matter after four weeks, by which time all high courts are expected to submit the requested information, including mechanisms, existing practices, and suggestions for standardization. This review will allow the apex court to assess compliance, address challenges raised by high courts, and determine further steps for implementing a unified public reporting system.
The initiative represents a significant step toward modernizing judicial transparency and enhancing trust in India’s legal system. By mandating clear and public timelines for judgments, the Supreme Court aims to ensure that delays are minimized, accountability is strengthened, and litigants receive timely access to justice.
In conclusion, the Supreme Court’s directive to high courts to furnish detailed judgment timelines reflects a commitment to transparency, efficiency, and accountability in the judicial process. By making reservation, pronouncement, and uploading dates publicly accessible, the judiciary seeks to provide litigants and citizens with clarity, ensure consistent monitoring of judicial performance, and reinforce public confidence in the administration of justice.
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