During summer break, Supreme Court clears record 1,170 cases

NEW DELHI: The colonial legacy of long summer vacations continues in the Supreme Court, but for the first time a record 20 benches were set up during the nearly two-month-long break this year and exhausted the list of cases to be taken up during this period with the consent of counsel for parties.
For those unaware of the punishing work schedule of SC judges, often criticised for the long summer break of the court, CJI D Y Chandrachud said, "People see us sitting in Supreme Court from 10.30am to 4pm daily, when we handle between 40 and 60 cases.The work we do between 10.30am and 4pm is a fraction of the work we do in order to be ready to deal with cases coming up for hearing the next day."
"Every judge spends an equal amount of time reading case files scheduled for the next day. Judgments are reserved on working days. On Saturdays, every judge sits down and dictates judgments. On Sundays, all of us read the cases listed for Monday. So, without exception, every SC judge works seven days a week," he said.
Vacation disposal jumps 3x to 1,170 cases compared with '17
As Supreme Court resumes normal functioning on Monday after the summer break, CJI-led benches in the next few weeks would be pronouncing judgments, including three by 9-judge benches, two by 7-J benches, and two by 5-J benches.

These constitution bench matters have been pending for decades, including a dispute whether industrial alcohol can be categorised as intoxicating liquor and whether privately owned properties can be classified as community property.
Interestingly, despite handling a lot of administrative work and attending conferences in India and abroad, CJI D Y Chandrachud has been working on judgments reserved in 18 cases, which have a total of 176 connected petitions, by benches headed by him.
"Other SC judges have reserved judgments in 190 cases with 786 connected petitions and they are also working round-the-clock on these judgments so that decisions can be pronounced within a few weeks of the court reopening," SC registry told TOI.
During the period of six years preceding 2023, on an average 1,380 cases were listed every summer vacation.
In 2023 and 2024 as many as 2,261 and 4,160 cases, respectively, were listed before the vacation benches, SC registry told TOI.
The disposal during the summer vacation saw a near three-fold increase to 1,170 as compared to data from 2017. "The average disposal of matter preceding 2023 was around 461 cases per vacation. In the 2023 summer break, the SC disposed of 751 cases, which this year increased to 1,170," it said. Apart from this, the vacation benches issued notices in 1,157 matters during the summer break this year.