At the commencement of the day’s legal proceedings, Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud emphasized the importance of refraining from seeking adjournments in new cases, expressing his desire to prevent the Supreme Court from turning into a ‘court of perpetual delays,’ often referred to as ‘tarikh-pe-tarikh.’
During the initial part of the day’s session, the CJI addressed the issue of legal practitioners frequently requesting adjournments for fresh cases. He noted that, in the past two months, lawyers had submitted adjournment requests in 3,688 cases.
The CJI, who presided over the bench alongside Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, urged lawyers not to file adjournment requests unless absolutely necessary. He stated, “I don’t want this court to become synonymous with ‘tarikh-pe-tarikh,'” referencing a famous Bollywood film dialogue from “Damini,” where the actor Sunny Deol lamented the culture of frequent adjournments in courts.
The Chief Justice acknowledged the collaborative efforts of lawyers’ organizations in minimizing the time between the filing of fresh cases and their scheduling in the Supreme Court. However, he expressed disappointment that, even after cases are listed before the benches, lawyers often seek adjournments. This practice sends a negative message to the public.
He mentioned the significant reduction in the time from filing to listing of cases, crediting this achievement to the support of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association (SCAORA). Nevertheless, the CJI pointed out that there were 178 adjournment requests for November 3 alone and that there had been 150 adjournment requests each day for miscellaneous cases since October. Additionally, from September to October, a total of 3,688 adjournment requests were filed. This, he noted, defeats the purpose of expediting legal proceedings.
