SC raps HC judges over delays, 'coffee breaks'; seeks performance audit

The Supreme Court has observed that the efficiency of High Court judges must be addressed, highlighting the need for performance audits and timely delivery of reserved judgments

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it may be time to conduct a performance audit of High Court judges, citing an increasing number of complaints regarding delays and inefficiencies in their functioning, Bar and Bench reported. 

A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh made these oral observations while hearing a plea filed by four life convicts. The petitioners, belonging to Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities, alleged that the Jharkhand High Court had reserved judgment in their criminal appeals for over two to three years without delivering a verdict.

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court pointed to inconsistencies in the work ethic of judges. 

  “There are some judges who work very hard, but at the same time, there are judges who are unnecessarily taking coffee breaks; this break or that break. What is for lunch hour, etc. We are hearing a lot of complaints about the High Court judges. This is a larger issue which needs to be looked into. What is the performance of the High Court judges? How much are we spending and what is the output? It’s high time we do a performance audit,” the court said.

 

Delayed judgments prompt concern

The court had earlier sought updates on the status of the criminal appeals in question. It was informed on Tuesday that judgments in all four cases had now been delivered. While three appeals were allowed, a difference of opinion arose in the fourth case, which has since been referred to another Bench. The court was also told that all four petitioners have been released from prison, the news report said. 

This is not the first time the apex court has expressed concern over such delays. On May 5, it had directed all high courts to submit reports detailing cases where judgments remain pending despite matters being reserved.   

 

  On Tuesday, the Bench reiterated that the issue is critical to maintaining trust in the criminal justice system. “The issued raised on May 5 is of paramount importance, goes to the root of criminal justice system,” the court said.

 

Delay in publishing judgments also examined

Furthering its efforts to improve transparency and accountability, the Supreme Court on May 9 also sought details from high courts regarding the dates on which judgments were pronounced and when they were uploaded on official court websites. 

During the latest hearing, the Bench underlined the need for deeper scrutiny and possibly mandatory directions to address systemic delays. 

“It seems that the issues noticed in the above mentioned orders would require and deeper analysis and mandatory guidelines by this Court, so that convicts or undertrials aren’t compelled to lose faith in the justice delivery system and to avoid the petitions like one in the present case,” the court said. 

The matter is scheduled to be taken up again in July, with the possibility of the Supreme Court framing guidelines to ensure timely delivery and publication of judgments.