SC tells Jharkhand HC judges to take leave to finish pending verdicts

In a peculiar development, the Supreme Court on Friday suggested the Jharkhand High Court judges to take leaves for penning pending verdicts after observing there were dozens of cases in which judgments weren't pronounced.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the judges to take their sanctioned leaves and complete the pending work.

"There are 61 cases pending. Ask Jharkhand High Court judges to take their sanctioned leaves for 10-12 weeks and write judgements. Nowadays judges have enough leaves left with them. Just get rid of these cases. People need judgements, they are not concerned about jurisprudence or something else. Give a reasoned order on whether relief is denied or allowed," the bench told senior advocate Ajit Sinha, appearing for the Jharkhand high court.

Sinha was referring to data till January 31 and said orders in several cases had been passed since then.

Justice Kant pointed out 61 cases was big number and asked him to convey the suggestion of the court to the chief justice of the high court.

"It is our request. Just do it. Convey our suggestion to the high court's chief justice," Justice Kant said.

The bench's order said, "The high court judges shall take immediate steps. Post the matter for further consideration after three months. Let needful be done by that time."  The top court passed the order in a batch of pleas in which students of faraway tribal areas of Jharkhand complained of judgements not being pronounced since 2023 in cases on appointments of home guards.

Sinha, however, said the high court had pronounced orders in the matter of students.

The Jharkhand High Court has come under the Supreme Court scanner for not pronouncing verdicts for years, particularly in criminal matters including death and life sentence cases.

On May 16, the top court asked the high court to file a status report of pending cases in which judgements were reserved on or before January 31 in both criminal and civil cases.

Students complained their case was last heard on April 6, 2023 and but no verdict was pronounced.

According to the pleas filed through advocate Vanya Gupta, the aspirants of home guard positions have sought a direction to the high court for pronouncement of the verdict in their cases.

The petitioners moved the high court after the Jharkhand government cancelled the recruitment for over 1,000 posts of home guards advertised in 2017, despite their names having featured in the merit list.

The high court, after having heard the matter since 2021, reserved the pleas filed by over 70 aspirants for orders on April 6, 2023.

Similarly, on July 21, the top court was informed that the high court has delivered verdict in cases of 10 convicts out of which six were on death row in a week, after they moved the Supreme Court complaining of delay in deciding their appeals against conviction despite the verdicts having been reserved years ago.

Advocate Fauzia Shakil, appearing for the convicts had submitted that the high court pronounced verdicts in a week's time after the top court on July 14 issued notice on their plea.

On May 13, the top court, which was hearing the pleas of life convicts, observed that the high court judges were taking breaks "unnecessarily" and called for their performance audits.