Supreme Court's Directive on Timely Judgments
The Supreme Court of India has set a three-month deadline for High Courts to pronounce judgments in cases after they are reserved for judgment. This decision was made on May 29, 2026, by a Bench led by Surya Kanta.
Current Practice
- Traditionally, there are no specific timelines for judges to deliver judgments.
- The judicial convention suggests pronouncing judgments within a reasonable time span of two to six months after case reservation.
- Despite conventions, judgments have been reserved for over a year in some cases, affecting both the Supreme Court and High Courts.
New Guidelines
- Bail orders should ideally be pronounced the next day and communicated to jails on the same day.
- Undertrials should be released the same day or by the next day following a bail order.
- The operative part of a judgment must be announced in court, with detailed reasons uploaded within a week.
- High Court websites must reflect the date when the judgment is reserved.
Enforcement Measures
If the binding guidelines are not followed, the case would be reallocated to another Bench. Additionally, copies of the Supreme Court judgment should be presented to the Chief Justices of High Courts to ensure compliance.
