From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court registry has lined up 2,500 cases that are pending since 2010 during the summer vacation from May 21 to July 10.
Usually two Benches assemble during the vacation to hear urgent and emergency cases, but Chief Justice of India N V Ramana has desired constitution of at least five vacation Benches this time.
The registry has made it clear that only those cases which are urgent will be taken up during the vacation. It has already published a circular on which cases will be treated as urgent or not. It has asked the lawyers to state on affidavit why they want their cases taken up as urgent during the sittings of the vacation courts.
The CJI has made it clear that no adjournments will be allowed in the cases listed before the vacation benches. The lawyers have been told to apply before May 20 if they want adjournment of the cases on the list.
The circular says the Benches will themselves decide the cases if the lawyers do not appear and that may also include dismissal of the cases. Most upset are the lawyers, who had already planned their holidays during the vacation since they did not expect functioning of five Benches as it amounts to half of the top court holding hearings during the vacation.
A total of 70,572 cases were pending in the Supreme Court as on May 2. The CJI decided to let more judges work during the vacation because of the public criticism of the long vacations piling up the pending cases.
